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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23848906">Two Steps To The Left</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awesome_Sauce432/pseuds/Awesome_Sauce432'>Awesome_Sauce432</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dimension 20 (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Class Swap, Angst, Campaign Rewrite, Canon-Typical Violence, Class Swap AU, Conspiracies galore, F/F, F/M, Fluff, If They Show Up In Canon They Show Up Here, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rivalry, The Abernants Are Somehow Even Worse, With A Couple Exceptions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:47:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>70,595</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23848906</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awesome_Sauce432/pseuds/Awesome_Sauce432</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In a universe two steps to the left of one we already know very well, six teens are set to begin their first days at adventuring school and with it, the rest of their lives. When Riz is the one wielding an axe and Fabian is the one with an orb far too large to be reasonable as an arcane focus, some things are very different, while others are a little more familiar, but surely things will still work out for the best, right? </p>
<p>This is a campaign rewrite based around the brilliant class swap AU created by duskquil, along with lots of great additional ideas from cloudmancy! Check out their work and art on tumblr!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kristen Applebees/Tracker O'Shaughnessey, Zelda Donovan/Gorgug Thistlespring</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>178</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>203</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fabian</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hiiiiiii gang it's me I hope you enjoy this story!!! I'm hoping to rewrite all of freshman year at the LEAST and i really want to do sophomore year as well but we'll see how it goes lmao have fun</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Elmville was a town like no other, and Solace was a country that by all accounts should not be able to exist, bordered by dragons and monsters and all manner of magical mysteries. </p><p> </p><p>But despite all logic and reason, Solace, and by extension Elmville, developed and advanced into an overall peaceful and anachronistically modern place to live, where its citizens didn’t necessarily have to worry about roving bandits burning down their taverns and stealing their gold. </p><p> </p><p>Instead, they had to worry about the first day of school. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Fabian Aramais Seacaster narrowed his eyes, focusing all his energy into keeping his hands steady, his movements perfectly precise. Of course, it wasn’t difficult, he wasn’t struggling. <em>He </em>didn't struggle. He was just being careful.</p><p> </p><p>Although they were outside, the air felt thick and heavy with incense, the watchful eye of his instructor burning into the back of his skull, just waiting for him to make the wrong move. </p><p> </p><p>With a deft flick of the wrist, he added the last stroke to the arcane rune he’d been stroking in the air. The incense burned ever brighter for a moment, the charcoal and herbs catching alight in a flash as the magic glowed, overtaking the entire ritual, expanding briefly before coalescing into a smaller, denser orb of magic.</p><p> </p><p>The spell complete, Fabian let himself grin triumphantly, watching the magic take shape into a moving ball before finally settling into solid, fluffy, white fur, with a grey face and a small black nose. </p><p> </p><p>Fabian blinked. It was a dog. A dog that would reach maybe halfway towards his knees. A dog that most people would rightfully call ‘a fluffball’. </p><p> </p><p>“I thought you were attempting to summon a German Shepherd?” Herzon remarked from behind him, and Fabian looked over his shoulder, scowling. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, of course, I changed my mind while I was doing the ritual!” He quickly snapped, before glancing back to the little dog that he definitely had <em>not </em>meant to summon. “I realised, there might be some students at school that are afraid of dogs! A German Shepherd could be disruptive, so a… smaller and… weaker dog would be more appropriate!” </p><p> </p><p>No longer looking directly at Herzon, Fabian didn’t hide his disappointed frown. But there was no time to redo the ritual. </p><p> </p><p>“Of course, Master Fabian,” Herzon said, perfectly deferential whether he believed Fabian or not. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, it’s <em> adorable</em>, darling!” Fabian glanced up to see his mother lounging on a deck chair, an oversized glass of wine in her hand, and a silk kimono barely staying atop her shoulders. “Almost as precious as my own darling son~” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Mama.” Fabian sighed. There was a high-pitched bark from the dog, which had jumped to its feet, shaking itself and stretching out a little, as if the completion of the spell had been the end of a long nap. </p><p> </p><p>Then it looked up at Fabian with wide, dark eyes, excited to see him. </p><p> </p><p>At least for a moment. Fabian couldn’t be sure if it just saw the disappointment in <em>his </em>eyes, or if it could sense it telepathically, but the next thing he knew he could have sworn the dog <em> frowned </em>before it darted forwards, fully attacking his legs.</p><p> </p><p>He managed to dart backward just before the thing could sink it’s tiny fangs into him, letting out an extremely manly and not at all delicate shriek before he picked it up, holding it at arm's length. “Herzon, I think you gave me faulty materials. My familiar is supposed to be <em> friendly </em> to me!”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course, of course.” Herzon stepped forward, looking uncertain and peering closely at the familiar. He didn’t get to take a very long look before there was another flash of light, directly between where Fabian and Herzon were standing on the patio and his mother’s deck chair. </p><p> </p><p>“Fabian! My most treasured son!” His father, tall and broad and dressed in an almost obnoxiously bright purple suit, appeared in the space, a wide grin on his face. He caught sight of the dog almost immediately, the grin widening. “Ah! You’ve done it!”</p><p> </p><p>“Er-” Fabian looked at the dog, which was wriggling in his grasp. “Of course I have, Papa! How could you ever doubt me?” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I would never, I would never! How could I ever doubt my son, my own flesh and blood, the finest wizard of the age?” He chortled, before suddenly turning deathly serious. “Finest wizard behind <em> me </em>that is.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, Papa, of course,” Fabian said, his stomach doing flips. “I would never imagine comparing myself to you-”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah now, I’m only joking! Come here!” He laughed heartily again, pulling Fabian in for a big, bone-crushing hug, the dog squished in between them. When they separated, his eyes were welled up with fat tears, so big and so sudden it was difficult to tell if they were real or not. “My own son, summoning his own familiar, finally starting high school. I couldn’t be more proud. You’ll give those bastards hell, won’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Papa… you’re the principal of the school.” Fabian chuckled nervously, holding the dog closer to his chest as it started to settle down. “You want me to give <em> you </em>hell?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’d expect nothing less!” Bill declared, raising a hand to the sky, before once again snapping to a far calmer, solemn demeanor. “And if anyone gives you any trouble, you know what to do.”</p><p> </p><p>“Firebolt them while they’re not looking and use Shield if they try to hit back.” </p><p> </p><p>“That’s my boy!” Bill pulled him in for another hug, shorter this time. “Now, what are you going to name your familiar?” </p><p> </p><p>“Uh-” Fabian looked back down at the dog, which was now looking up at him expectantly. Almost smugly. Daring him to name it Killer or something equally deadly like he’d first planned to. Yeah, no way. </p><p> </p><p>He looked up at his father, then to his mother, even to Herzon, before finally around the grand estate their home rested in. It was large and monumental, centered around the giant ship that his father had teleported into its current landbound location, after besting its former captain in a duel. </p><p> </p><p>“I think I’ll call him Hangman.” Fabian finally said, plastering a wry grin on his face. “In honour of one of your greatest successes, Papa.” </p><p> </p><p>His father stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, crushing Fabian once again. </p><p> </p><p>“Brilliant! Brilliant! Oh my son, you never fail to make me proud! Oh, you and your mother, I love you both so much. You know that, you know that.” </p><p> </p><p>“Of course, Papa, I know.”</p><p> </p><p>“I love you more than I love anything else in this world.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I know.”</p><p> </p><p>“I love you more than the school, more than money and power and magic.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, you tell me so often.” Fabian chuckled nervously.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re the lights of my magically extended life, and I know you’ll make me proud.” Bill gave Fabian a long look, both his hands resting heavily on Fabian’s shoulders. Then all at once, he was shouting again. “And you better, cause heavens knows what I’ll do if you don’t!” </p><p> </p><p>He cracked up, slapping Fabian on the back before turning around. “To the car, my boy! We’ll be leaving in five minutes!” </p><p> </p><p>“Ach- of course, Papa!” Fabian doubled over, only slightly winded, the tie around his neck feeling just a little too tight.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh darling, are you sure you don’t want to wear something a little more comfortable?” His mother called out from the deck chair with an overly sympathetic look on her face.</p><p> </p><p>“No, Mama, this is fine.” Fabian straightened up, Hangman in one hand and dusting down his dress pants and matching navy blue suit jacket. It was most definitely <em>not </em>a recreation of his father’s outfit, the colours were <em> entirely </em>different. He just liked to dress respectably. “I really must get going now.”</p><p> </p><p>He gave his mother a quick cheek kiss before he raced to the car, picking up his backpack and crystal along the way. Just before he got in, there was the pattering of small footsteps on the floor, and the maid came jogging around the corner, holding some books in her hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Fabian, you nearly forgot your notebooks!” She said.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, thank you, Cathilda.” Fabian said, halfway into the car, his father already settled inside.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re mighty welcome, dear, you have a good first day at school now, yeah? Make lots of friends, study hard,” She leaned in a little closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I slipped a little extra snack into the front pocket of your backpack in case the cafeteria food isn’t to your liking.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh Cathilda, you are always so thoughtful.” Fabian gushed, climbing in the rest of the way.</p><p> </p><p>He had barely gotten settled with the Hangman in his lap and his schoolbag on the ground before his father cleared his throat as the car began to drive off towards the school. “Now, Fabian, my son, this is your first day at school. You’re attending Aguefort Adventuring Academy, the finest school for adventurers on this entire planet.”</p><p> </p><p>Fabian nodded along, staying silent even as his fingers itched for his crystal. </p><p> </p><p>“So, in celebration, I’ve got a present for you,” Bill said solemnly, reaching down below his seat and pulling up a large, round bag. Fabian’s heart leapt, imagining what it could be.</p><p> </p><p>Bill reached into the bag, pulling out a large, semi-translucent blue glass orb. One bigger than a bowling ball. Maybe even bigger than Hangman. </p><p> </p><p>“Your very own arcane focus.” </p><p> </p><p>Fabian stared. That wasn’t an arcane focus, that was a potential murder weapon. “Papa…” </p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong?” Bill squinted down at him, one eyebrow raised comically high. </p><p> </p><p>“Nothing!” Fabian said quickly, taking the orb from his father's hands. “It’s- it’s magnificent! I’ve never seen such a… large arcane focus.” </p><p> </p><p>“Well, the bigger, the better, isn’t it?” Bill said, leaning backward, entirely relaxed again. “Why, my first arcane focus was a tea kettle! They’d always laugh, giggling when I stepped up with my tea kettle.” He shook his head, snarling. “Weren’t laughing for very long.” </p><p> </p><p>Fabian looked down at the massive orb, catching Hangman’s eyes. This was going to be interesting. </p><p> </p><p>“Because I killed them, you see.” Bill continued after a moment of Fabian saying nothing.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I assumed, Papa.”</p><p> </p><p>“I killed them very quickly, I’m very effective.”</p><p> </p><p>“I know, Papa.” </p><p> </p><p>One hand clapped his shoulder and shook it heartily before the driver took a turn that Bill didn’t agree with, and he quickly got distracted by getting them back on course. Fabian took the opportunity to put the orb on the ground for now, pulling out his crystal and texting his favourite number.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: hey, are you headed to school yet?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>He only had to wait a moment before some ellipses popped up, signaling a reply. Fabian grinned.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aelwyn: just got on bus. wyd?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: omw to aguefort. summoned a familiar this morning </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aelwyn: wow </b>
</p><p> </p><p>Aelwyn Abernant was, not to put things lightly, the girl of Fabian’s dreams. The eldest daughter of diplomats from Fallinel, one of the top students of Hudol College, objectively very attractive, she and Fabian’s families had run in the same circles for a long time, attending dozens of garden parties and other events.</p><p> </p><p>She was a couple of years older than Fabian, but her younger sister that <em>was </em> Fabian’s age didn’t like him very much, so Fabian had tried his best to get in good with Aelwyn. For the longest time, she had just brushed him off, but over the summer holidays, he had <em> finally </em>managed to get her number.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: yeah its pretty impressive </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aelwyn: idk i can think of something even more impressive</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: what???? </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aelwyn: well i heard aguefort has a lot of books in the restricted section of their library. I heard one of them, watches and wards, almost has a legend around it. If someone manages to steal it from the library on their first day, then it’s like good luck for the rest of their entire schooling career</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: no way really???</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aelwyn: yeah but ive heard no one has actually managed to do it </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: pft i bet i could do it easily</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aelwyn: lmao doubt it</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: i definitely could! I bet you i’ll be able to do it in the first ten minutes</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aelwyn: i’ll hold you to that ;)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Aelwyn: you better send a pic for proof </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: of course</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Aelwyn didn’t respond after that, and eventually Fabian pocketed his phone, trying to stuff his giant orb into his backpack. Hangman clambered around on his lap, climbing up and licking his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Pft-oh- gross-” Fabian lightly batted him away from his face, before leaning back in his seat.</p><p> </p><p>Hangman kept shuffling up to him, digging his paws into his stomach. He <em>was </em>pretty soft though. And kinda cute. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, you got me.” Fabian sighed, scratching his head. “Let’s do this.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ok so i told myself i wasn't gonna start posting this until i finished writing my other longfic i've got going on...</p><p>but here i am anyway because i couldn't deal with it just sitting in my google docs anymore </p><p>The first few chapters will be everyone's little intros, which I'll probably release every 3/4 days, then after those are done it'll probably be a one chapter a week kind of deal. Let's see how we go, it'll be fun</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Kristen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A long, wavering note faded into the air, sound waves almost visible in the breezing of the sheer pink curtains half-drawn at the window. </p><p> </p><p>With a focused smile on her face, fingers poised along the strings of the well-worn acoustic guitar, adorned with dozens of stickers with flowers, suns (wearing sunglasses), sheaths of corn and various colourful phrases like ‘Helio Loves You!’ and ‘Repent From Sin!’. </p><p> </p><p>Kristen Applebees prepared to strum the final notes when there was a light knocking at the door, and she groaned.</p><p> </p><p>The door cracked open, her mother peering inside. “Kristen? Sweetie, are you ready to go?” </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, yeah, totally,” Kristen said, focusing even more intently on her guitar. “Just, like, ten more songs, and then I’ll be completely prepared. And I’ll probably need to restart this one cause you interrupted.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, uh- sorry, sweetie.” Her mother stammered for a few moments before collecting herself. “It’s just- I know your worship is very important but if you do ten more songs we’re going to be late.” </p><p> </p><p>Kristen paused at that, glancing up at the clock. Oh, she was right.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on?” Another voice boomed louder than necessary, her dad shoving his face into the now open doorway. “Kristen, you good, kiddo?” </p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine, Dad!” Kristen sighed. “It’s- it’s fine, you know, I’ll do some on the way, we can roll the windows down, it’s like worship <em> and </em>spreading the word, two for one deal, I got this.” </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, calm down there, Kristen.” Her mom said as Kristen slid off her bed, putting her guitar aside for the moment to pack her backpack with her books, songbook, bible, harmonica, everything she needed. “Okay, now…”</p><p> </p><p>Her mom hesitated, and Kristen picked up her guitar again and walked to the doorway. “You’re kinda blocking the way, Mom.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure about this, kiddo?” Her mom finally said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You know- your father and I are <em> so </em>proud of you, and we know what an opportunity it can be to go to a new community and spread the word of Helio but-”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not going to Sun View, Mom!” Kristen announced. “It’s a homogenous institution that won’t teach me anything I already know! Like how cool Helio is.” </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, okay, you don’t need to throw around words like ‘homogenous’, what does that even mean? Is it-” </p><p> </p><p>“It means everyone there is the same. They all love Helio too, they already know the deal, I don’t need that! I need to get out there, meet different people, meet elves and orcs, and maybe even a <em> dragon </em>.” She saw how her mother cringed and just became even more passionate. “You know, I know you just don’t want me going to Aguefort cause elves go there.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not-!” </p><p> </p><p>“It’s a racist worldview and I know you can do better than that.” Kristen folded her arms, nodding firmly, and her mother sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“You know I’m not good at arguing with you Kristen-” She threw up her hands, shuffling her father down the hallway and stepping out of the doorway. “Come on! Come on, we need to get going.” </p><p> </p><p>Triumphant, Kristen closed her bedroom door behind her and followed her mother to the living room, where her brothers were wrestling on the floor, their backpacks a mess around them. “Oh, boys! Boys, clean up your things!” Their mother pleaded, going over to the kitchen to finish up the boys’ lunches. </p><p> </p><p>“Dudes, c’mon, we gotta get going or I’m gonna be late for my first day of school,” Kristen said, poking her oldest brother, Bucky on the head. “You know what they do to people who are late on the first day at adventuring school? They kill them.” </p><p> </p><p>“No way! You’re a liar, Kristen.” Her middle brother, Bricker, stuck his tongue out at her, which she returned.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, okay, I am. They might do something even <em> worse</em>.” Kristen dropped her voice to a faux whisper.</p><p> </p><p>“Like what?” Her youngest brother, Cork, looked up at her, eyes wide and totally believing it. </p><p> </p><p>“Who knows.” Kristen shrugged her shoulders, slinging her guitar around like it could be a weapon. “But that’s why I’ve got to be constantly vigilant. Never slip up. Pour out the alcohol and replace it with water. Or otherwise, I’ll die and go to hell and <em> die </em>again.” </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be so dramatic, Kristen.” Her dad walked by, ruffling her hair and picking up his halberd from where Bucky had been about to try impaling Bricker with it. “<em>You </em> won’t be going to hell, all your classmates probably will.” </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe not! That’s why I’m <em> going.” </em>Kristen said. “That and to make like, friends and stuff. Make friends, save them from eternal damnation, there’s no loss here. It's my destiny.” </p><p> </p><p>“Have you boys gotten yourselves packed yet?” Their mom called from the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, okay, come on boys, you gotta pack up,” Kristen said, holding her guitar properly again. “I’ll let you pick a sooooong~” </p><p> </p><p>Bucky groaned and scowled, but Bricker and Cork were still unashamedly bribed by songs, immediately racing to pack up their backpacks. Kristen got through at least three Helio-centric kids songs before they got to the car, and then a few more after that on the way. </p><p> </p><p>This was going to be great. Kristen was prepared, she’d been praying all summer, she had her pastor’s blessing and Helio’s teachings to guide her, and the conviction to never be led astray. What could go wrong?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>a bit of a shorter intro cause there's not as much to establish but i rly do love kristen. every time i dunk on helio just know i was raised religious for my whole life so all dunking is done with love</p><p>also thank you so much to everyone who has read and kudos and commented so far i didnt expect this much love so quickly T_T i love yall</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Gorgug</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Gorgug Thistlespring woke up to sunlight warming his back and wood poking into his side. Blinking his eyes, he realised his fear after only a couple moments of looking around, dropping his head into his pillow and groaning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Picking himself up off the bed, he pushed away bits of broken frame and stood up, bumping his head on the gnarled wooden roof of his room, wincing at the slight pain and sighing. Perfect start to the day. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Slouching in the room that was two inches too short for him, he looked around at his broken bed and the projects and boxes of scrap metal that had been tipped over in his sleep, before walking over to his calendar and drawing a bright red X over the day. So much for his eight-day streak.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Staring at the X, Gorgug felt irritation churn in his stomach, and as soon as he recognised it he closed his eyes tight, trying to focus on pushing it down. It’s fine. He was still doing well, he was still handling things, it was fine.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Breathe in, hold, breathe out. In, hold, out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After about thirty seconds of focused breathing, his stomach had settled, and Gorgug opened his eyes again, rubbing at them with his hands and walking over to the window. The sun streamed in bright and warm, perhaps a little warmer than it should at that time of day. Shining on his face, it felt like a soft hug, reassuring him that everything was going to be alright. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, good morning,” Gorgug whispered. He’d never really been sure what to say to his god. So a good morning every day seemed to suffice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He got dressed, cleaning up his room a little, picking up boxes, and tilting his mattress onto the side to pull the broken bed frame more into the middle of the room, even though it left him with even less room to maneuver. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gorgug? Kiddo, are you awake?” The voice came from the other side of the door, accompanied by a polite knock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, I’m up,” Gorgug said, and after a moment the door cracked open, the face of his gnomish mother poking in. “I- uh, I broke the bed again.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, that’s alright kiddo!” Wilma quickly bustled in, walking up and gesturing for him to bend over a little so she could give him a good morning kiss on the cheeks. “We can fix that right up while you’re at school, did you sleep well?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it was fine,” Gorgug said. “But, I’d been doing well before-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, don’t worry about that, Gorgug!” Wilma said, patting his cheek before letting him stand up as straight as he could again. “You’re improving! You went over a whole week, you’re doing so well with your meditation, we’re both so proud of you.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, yeah.” Gorgug sighed, and Wilma frowned slightly, glancing at the broken bed before looking back to her son.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, are you nearly packed? We wouldn’t want to be late on your first day of high school!” She looked over at his backpack, which was clumsily packed with books and stationery. “Are you going to take any of your little trinkets? I bet kids would love them.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think so?” Gorgug looked towards his desk, which was scattered with small metal objects both finished and unfinished. His mother nodded excitedly, walking over to the desk and picking up one of his latest, a rose shaped out of multiple small sheets of metal connected together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, yeah! You can show all your classmates this and tell them about Vulcan and they’ll see how smart and talented and kind you are.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gorgug took the metal rose, turning it over in his hands before nodding. That did sound pretty nice, even if it didn’t assuage all of his nerves. His mother smiled, squeezing his hand before disappearing downstairs, telling Gorgug that his father was making a special breakfast.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It took Gorgug a little longer to get downstairs, on account of having to wriggle his way down the twisting staircase that was not designed for anyone of his height, much less a half-orc with a bulky backpack. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After squeezing down into the equally tiny living room, Gorgug dropped his backpack onto the ground next to the table, slumping into the biggest chair sitting around it. Wilma slipped a plate of pancakes with a chocolate chip smiley face on top in front of him, beaming proudly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey there, kiddo, what’s got you down?” His dad, Digby, said from the kitchen, flipping another pancake. “Today should be exciting!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I know.” Gorgug smiled weakly, fiddling with the zipper on his hoodie. “I just… I don’t think I’ll fit in at school.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, why not?” Digby said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean- with other clerics or whatever,” Gorgug mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey now, you listen to me kiddo.” Digby waddled over to Gorgug, climbing up the small stool he and Wilma used to get on their chairs at the dinner table, which was designed so that Gorgug could get his legs under comfortably. He sat down, resting his hands on the table and looking solemnly at Gorgug. “There’s no one way to be a cleric. Vulcan saw something in you he didn’t see in anyone else, not even your dear ma and pa. Isn’t that exciting?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah…” Gorgug said. Terrifying, more like. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it is.” Digby nodded. “And that means that no matter what, you belong. You’re a real, bonafide cleric, and those other clerics will see that! Why, I bet some of them will probably feel pretty nervous too.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think so?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Gorgug, I do.” Digby smiled warmly, patting Gorgug on the arm as Wilma came up with a stack of cooked pancakes, and his smile widened into a grin. “And come on! Who can be nervous with your favourite breakfast?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gorgug exhaled slowly, plastering on the shakiest of smiles. “Not me.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the spirit!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Breakfast was bright and lively on the side of his parents, but Gorgug couldn’t bring himself to enjoy the cheer as well. When they finally piled into the car to head to school, Gorgug picked up the intricately engraved metal staff that he’d found at his feet after he’d been chosen by Vulcan, a staff he’d never really felt quite comfortable wielding. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sticking his head outside the car window, Gorgug felt the rays of the sun on his face once again, now accompanied by the wind whipping his hair. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, which he supposed was a good sign. The pit in his stomach disagreed. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>in this au gorgug took some anger management classes yeehaw :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Adaine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>general warning for 1.4k of abernant parents being terrible people and parents</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Adaine, what is that?” </p><p> </p><p>Adaine Abernant bit the inside of her cheek, freezing in the doorway to the dining room. After hesitating for a moment, she looked up, facing her parents and sister already sitting at the dining table. </p><p> </p><p>“What?” She asked as casually as she could, holding her head high as she walked in. </p><p> </p><p>“Where is your formal uniform?” Her father said, narrowing his eyes at her. </p><p> </p><p>Adaine looked down at her clothes, her dark blue sports shirt and matching shorts, both adorned with the Hudol logo. “It’s not appropriate.” </p><p> </p><p>Angwyn scoffed. “I dare say it’ll be the most appropriate thing anyone in that school will wear at all!”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t do combat in a <em> dress skirt.” </em>Adaine protested, her hands curled into fists. “You already wouldn’t let me wear or buy any actual sports clothes.”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s the problem with your old uniform?” Her mother squinted at her from over her glasses. “Really, Adaine, you’ll look garish if you show up in that. Even if you’re doing those horrid combat classes, you could at least look respectable.” </p><p> </p><p>“For starters, they’re the uniform from an entirely different <em> school.</em>” Adaine began, determined not to let herself get beaten back into wearing her <em> formal </em>uniform. “And I’ll just get thrown out if I’m wearing my formal uniform-”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, but you’re no stranger to getting thrown out of schools, Adaine, that should be easy to deal with.” Her sister said sharply, a smug smirk on her face. Adaine froze, shooting Aelwyn a deadly look, feeling her fingernails dig into her skin even though she kept them cut short. “I think she should wear the sports uniform if she feels like it. She might fit in better with the rest of them.” </p><p> </p><p>Aelwyn spoke airily, one finger on her crystal, and her eyes sparkling with the knowledge that she could never say anything that would get her in trouble. Sure enough, her father sighed, as if he was giving up some fight of great value.</p><p> </p><p>“Very well, then. You should count yourself lucky, Adaine, your sister is always so willing to stand up for you.” He said, and Adaine couldn’t stop her indignant huff, pointedly looking away from Aelwyn so she wouldn’t have to see her smirk again. </p><p> </p><p>“When has Aelwyn <em> ever </em> truly stood up for me? Not as a backhanded insult but <em> actually </em>defending me.” She snapped, folding her arms and ignoring the breakfast the Unseen Servants placed in front of her. “Not to mention that the fact that she would have the opportunity to stand up for me so often is appalling.” </p><p> </p><p>To her side, Aelwyn shrugged theatrically, turning her attention to her crystal, while neither of her parents looked up from what they were doing at all. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Adaine, you can’t expect us to keep track of everything,” Arianwen said mildly.</p><p> </p><p>“I am asking you to name <em> one </em>incident.” </p><p> </p><p>“Really, Adaine, we’re at the breakfast table. You don’t have to <em> act </em>like a brutish fighter, you know.” Angwyn said.</p><p> </p><p>Adaine stewed in her chair, deciding to see how many pieces she could cut her eggs into before she started thinking about something a bit more violent. Act like a brutish fighter… they wouldn’t know brutality if it hit them over the head. Wouldn’t that be something? </p><p> </p><p>“It’s going to be a dreadful business today, I must say.” Angwyn murmured, flipping the page of the newspaper he was reading. Arianwen and Aelwyn both gave vague hums in response, nodding like they understood entirely what he meant. </p><p> </p><p>Adaine glanced up, internally debating whether it was worth it (it never was) for all of three seconds before her curiosity got the better of her. “What is?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm?” Angwyn didn’t even look up.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s dreadful? You said it’s going to be dreadful but you didn’t say why.” </p><p> </p><p>“You don’t know?” Aelwyn asked innocently. “Goodness, Adaine, you really must learn to pay attention to the events around you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Know <em> what?” </em>Adaine frowned. “You all treat me like I’m stupid but you never tell me anything!” </p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t sound right at all,” Arianwen said. “Don’t you read the news?”</p><p> </p><p>“You took my crystal away, Mother. How am I supposed to read the news?” Adaine said, looking down at her half-eaten breakfast but no longer feeling hungry. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, that was your own fault,” Angwyn said, tilting the newspaper down a little to look sternly at her. </p><p> </p><p>“It really was.” Aelwyn agreed, waving her own crystal around dismissively, taunting her. “But I’ll take pity on you, dear sister. The Elven Oracle died last night, in a terrible shipwreck.” </p><p> </p><p>“Must’ve been a shitty oracle.” Adaine sunk lower in her seat, picking at her remaining breakfast so she could eat just enough that she could leave the table. Every muscle in her body was tightly wound, ready to spring at any moment. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, she was wonderful. A brilliant wizard, an excellent diviner. Adaine, I always thought you would’ve been an excellent divination wizard if you’d ever put in the effort.” Arianwen said. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes, yes. Isn’t that Seacaster boy a divination wizard? Even a half-elf could do it, and he didn’t even go to Hudol.” Angwyn mused.</p><p> </p><p>There was a sharp sound of wood scraping against wood as Adaine stood up, catching everyone’s attention despite how utterly self-absorbed they all were. </p><p> </p><p>She cleared her throat, trying to loosen some of the tension that held her chest in a vice, her resolve faltering for a split second in the lukewarm indifference she was faced with. “I’m going to head to school early. ”</p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of silence before Angwyn rustled his newspaper. “Hmm, yes, there’s a bus, isn’t there?”</p><p> </p><p>“I wouldn’t know, I don’t have my crystal to look it up and none of you bothered to check.” Adaine spun on her heel and walked politely out of the dining room before promptly stomping her way up the stairs. </p><p> </p><p>She had already packed her backpack the night before, so she simply made sure it was zipped up before slinging it over one shoulder and picking up the greatsword that she’d had to hunt down over the summer holidays because her parents had refused to buy her her own equipment, presumably in the hopes she’d give up the endeavour in the first place. They could deal with a failure of a wizard (they would deal with it terribly, but they'd deal with it), but a <em> fighter? </em>They’d probably prefer she had no talents at all. </p><p> </p><p>Coming back downstairs, she tried to swing around the dining room to avoid the rest of her family, but luck had never been on her side. </p><p> </p><p>“Adaine,” Aelwyn’s voice was silky sweet, leaning against the wall in the foyer with her arms folded, elegant elven rapier by her side. “The bus stop to Aguefort is on the corner two blocks away, you know.” </p><p> </p><p>Adaine paused, frowning. “Why do you care about the bus stop to Aguefort?” </p><p> </p><p>“Well, even if you were a total failure at Hudol, I figured it wouldn’t do to start off your first day at Aguefort by being <em> late.</em>” She snarked, and Adaine rolled her eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“Great. Any other insults you want to sneak in before I leave?” Adaine went to kick her stupid rapier to the ground — a family heirloom, because of course, Aelwyn got the best their connections and history and money could procure, <em> perfect </em> for emphasising and accentuating that wonderfully <em> ancient </em> and <em> noble </em>elven art of being a wizard but with a sword this time so they can claim they do that better than everyone else too — but in a swift movement, Aelwyn grabbed for the hilt, sweeping the rapier up in a smooth motion until it was pointed just past Adaine, the edge an inch or two away from her ear, arcane energy humming along the blade. </p><p> </p><p>Adaine flinched, crinkling her nose in frustration, and a smirk curled across Aelwyn’s face.</p><p> </p><p>“Not even a thank you? You really are ungrateful sometimes.” Aelwyn let the rapier drop to her side, glancing deeper into the house.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks, Aelwyn.” Her voice was quiet and overly insincere, hefting her backpack higher on her shoulder and brushing past her sister to get to the front door. It was easier to breathe once she was outside, but there was still a tightness in her chest that refused to loosen, her arms folded tightly as she walked, crescent-shaped marks in her palms left by her fingernails.</p><p> </p><p>It would be fine. She would go to Aguefort and become a brilliant fighter, and then they would see what she was worth. At the very least, it would be better than Hudol. Anything would be better than Hudol.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>[scream] adaine bby i love u im so sorry anyway death to the abernant parents</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Riz</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Riz stared up at the ceiling, lying stiff on the couch, almost swimming in the worn hoodie he was wearing. On the ground next to him lay his axe. Behind the couch, its contents strewn about the floor where he’d tossed them in frustration, was his backpack. </p><p> </p><p>He was not happy. </p><p> </p><p>Maybe, if he just fell asleep now, he could sleep for the entire day and never have to go to school at all. And if he missed the first day, then it just wouldn’t make sense to attend the rest of the year, right?</p><p> </p><p>He knew perfectly well that wasn’t going to fly. But he could dream. </p><p> </p><p>The door to the apartment opened up, and Riz heard footsteps walking in, his mother Sklonda sighing lightly as the door closed behind her.</p><p> </p><p>“Riz? Are you awake?” She asked. Riz didn’t turn his head to look, listening to the sound of her handbag being dropped on her bed.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes.” He said, finally pulling himself up into a sitting position.</p><p> </p><p>His mom glanced over at him and visibly winced, taking in the scruffy hair and perhaps catching sight of his books tossed on the ground behind the couch. “Oh, Riz.”</p><p> </p><p>Riz sighed, loosely kicking the handle of his axe while his mom walked over to the couch, sitting down next to him. “Hey, Mom.”</p><p> </p><p>“Kiddo, you’re going to be fine,” Sklonda said, running a hand through his hair. “This’ll be good for you.” </p><p> </p><p>“I really fail to see how,” Riz grumbled.</p><p> </p><p>“You can make some friends, get outside… maybe get some constructive ways to deal with your feelings…” Her voice trailed off, and her head leaned back into the couch, exhaustion after a long shift clear on her face. </p><p> </p><p>Guilt panged, and Riz shifted uncomfortably. “Okay. How… was work?” </p><p> </p><p>“It was work,” Sklonda said wearily, with a tinge of bitterness that Riz picked up on immediately. </p><p> </p><p>“Did something happen?” He asked, and his mom lifted her head up again, clearly hesitating. “Mom.”</p><p> </p><p>“They took Peterson off the case, kiddo. It was a long night.” She finally said.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Riz slipped off the couch, fully alert. “But that only leaves you!” </p><p> </p><p>“I know-”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s so unfair! It’s only been a couple of weeks since-” Riz cut himself off, turning around and snarling, his hands balling into fists. “They can’t be giving up!”</p><p> </p><p>“They’re not giving up, <em> I’m </em>not giving up.” Sklonda stood up, walking up to Riz with her hands held up. “Of anyone in the force to leave it to, they left it to me. You know I’m gonna give it everything I have.” </p><p> </p><p>She put her hands on Riz’s shoulders and he dug his into the pockets of his hoodie, staring at the ground. She wasn’t lying, but it didn’t make him feel better.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll find out what happened to them,” Sklonda said. “But you need to go to school and focus on that, alright? Freshman year is a big step, isn’t it? It’s exciting. You’re gonna have a great day, and then a great week, and on Saturday we’ll go to the cemetery and we can tell your dad about it, right?” </p><p> </p><p>“Right.” Riz nodded sullenly, letting his mother kiss the top of his head before walking to the kitchen, pulling out cereal and the small amount of milk they had left.</p><p> </p><p>Riz reluctantly walked around the couch to begin collecting his books and pencils, glancing up every now and then to see his mother carefully examine the milk before finally pouring all of it in one bowl and water in the other.</p><p> </p><p>When he walked up with his backpack more or less straightened up again, his mom pushed the bowl with milk in it towards him, picking up the other one without another word. Riz gave a tiny, hopefully reassuring smile before they both dug in without mercy. </p><p> </p><p>Thirty seconds or so later Riz wiped stray droplets of milk from his mouth, rinsing out the bowl and walking back over to the couch to pick up his axe. It was hefty, almost as tall as him if he stood it upright, but it was his, and hopefully, it would serve him well.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, you got everything? Your schedule, your books? Remember which bus stop to go to?” Sklonda ruffled his hair. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, Mom, I got it.” Riz nodded, putting his axe away into a special holder attached to his backpack. He sighed. “I’m definitely going to be the smallest barbarian there, aren’t I.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, we don’t know that for sure.” Sklonda smiled, even if it looked like she was reconsidering as she said it. “Okay, it’s pretty likely, but I know you can handle it. You’re the most capable boy I know, Riz.” </p><p> </p><p>“They’re gonna beat me up.” Riz sighed, and this time she visibly winced.</p><p><br/>“Alright, let’s not say that.” She steepled her hands together, thinking. “I’m gonna be honest, Riz, it might be rough. But I know you can do it. If you can just go in there, be yourself, and let them know you’re not going to let yourself get pushed around, I’m sure you’ll do fine. And if anyone gives you trouble, you can tell me and I’ll talk to the principal for you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah jeez, then I’ll be a <em> snitch. </em> That’ll get me <em> double </em>beat up.” Riz grimaced.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, okay! My point is, you can do it. You’re gonna be great, I love you.” She put her hands on the side of his face, a fond, slightly concerned smile on her face. </p><p> </p><p>“Love you too, Mom,” Riz said back, a little subdued but still genuine. Her smile widened a little and she pulled back, clearing the way for the door. “See you this afternoon, I guess.” </p><p> </p><p>“I can’t wait to hear all about it!” Sklonda called out as he left, and he tossed a small half-wave over his shoulder at her alongside a mumbled noncommittal reply. </p><p> </p><p>Riz got three flights down towards the bottom floor before his shoulders slumped. Yeah, he’d need to do something crazy to convince a barbarian class probably full of orcs and goliaths and hardcore jocks that he wasn’t going to get pushed around. He figured he’d better get to brainstorming.</p><p> </p><p>This was gonna suck.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>riz is an emo little rage boy and i love him </p><p>and only one little intro to go before we really get into it!!! yeehaw</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Fig</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Checklist time. </p><p> </p><p>Notebook? Ready.</p><p> </p><p>Evidence satchel? Packed.</p><p> </p><p>Magnifying glass? In hand.</p><p> </p><p>Tartan vest and skirt combo? Super cute. </p><p> </p><p>Uncertain caffeine beverage made at approximately 3am? Downed. </p><p> </p><p>Fig (just Fig) was ready. Finally ready for perhaps the most important task she’d had to complete since she woke up from her twenty-minute nap eight hours ago. </p><p> </p><p>Sneak out of the house. </p><p> </p><p>With all the grace of someone who hadn’t gotten more rest than that twenty-minute nap in over twenty-four hours, Fig pried open the window to her attic bedroom, formerly adorned with boy band posters and pink fluffy pillows, now more akin to an explosion of a craft store that solely stocked red string, thumbtacks and pieces of paper with clues scrawled on them or ripped out of library books. </p><p> </p><p>The window got stuck halfway open, but Fig would not be deterred, wriggling through the window until she could grab hold of the drainage pipe, carefully shimmying down until she hit the ground. </p><p> </p><p>For a moment, she froze, carefully looking around. When she saw no movement, heard no shout of alarm, she relaxed, before breaking into a jog, giggling to herself under her breath. She made it to the chain-link fence that surrounded their house and began to climb, her hands a <em> little </em>shaky but not totally clumsy.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, it was while she was halfway over, one leg just swinging over the top of the fence, that she heard the beating of quickly approaching wings. </p><p> </p><p>“Shitshitshitshitshitshit-” Fig stumbled and fell the remaining way over the fence, landing on the ground with an ‘oof’ and scrambling to her feet, but it was too late, the griffin landing in front of her with a disappointed look on his face.</p><p> </p><p>Narc. </p><p> </p><p>“Figueroth Faeth!” Her mother’s voice boomed, filled to the brim with anger and probably also disappointment and exhaustion and hatred and a million other things probably. </p><p> </p><p>Fig groaned loudly, folding her arms tightly across her chest and tapping the ground with the toes of her boot while her mother, Sandra Lynn, climbed off of the griffin and walked up to her, planting her hands on her hips.</p><p> </p><p>“Where do you think you’re going?” </p><p> </p><p>“None of your business,” Fig said, sticking her nose in the air. </p><p> </p><p>“I think it is my business when it’s my daughter sneaking out of her room on the first day of school to go somewhere that is presumably <em> not </em>school.” </p><p> </p><p>“You don’t know that.”</p><p> </p><p>“Were you going to school?” </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe.” Fig slipped a hand into her satchel, pulling out a small red and black switchblade and admiring herself in the mirror. </p><p> </p><p>“Where did you get that?” Sandra Lynn snatched the switchblade from her hands, and Fig groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“Your bathroom.” She folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at her mother. </p><p> </p><p>Sandra Lynn groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose before pointing to the griffin. “Get on Baxter, we are not having this discussion in the neighbours yard.” </p><p> </p><p>“Actually, I think this is a great place to have this discussion,” Fig said, not moving an inch. “<em> Or </em>, you can end this discussion right now-”</p><p> </p><p>“Fig-”</p><p> </p><p>“-by telling me-”</p><p> </p><p>“-I can’t believe-”</p><p> </p><p>“-who my dad is and where I can find him and why he <em> really </em>hasn’t been around my whole life!” Fig blurted out the last sentence as quickly as she could, jabbing a finger at her mother accusingly. </p><p> </p><p>For a moment, Sandra Lynn just stared at her, one eye twitching. “Fig. Get on Baxter. Please.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who is he?” </p><p> </p><p>“No.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is he super powerful?”</p><p> </p><p>“Fig, I’m not-”</p><p> </p><p>“Is he the Nightmare King? Legally, you have to tell me if he’s the Nightmare King.”</p><p> </p><p>“That- what?”</p><p> </p><p>“Who’s my dad, Mom? Who is he?”</p><p> </p><p>“Fig, this is ridiculous! Just- get on Baxter so we’re not standing in this yard like a couple of crazy people.” </p><p> </p><p>Fig shook her head, but turned around and, keeping direct eye contact with her mother the entire time, stumbled back over the face, this time managing to land on her feet. </p><p> </p><p>Baxter jumped over the fence with her mother on his back a moment later, and Sandra Lynn dismounted again, walking up to Fig and stopping just in front of her. “Fig, what are you doing? Why are you doing this?”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Because, </em> you couldn’t be bothered to tell me the truth about my own heritage for most of my life, so I have to do all the work myself! I’m making a list of <em> every </em> demon that has ever been listed <em> ever</em>, I’ll find him eventually, and then I’m gonna track him down, with or without your help!” </p><p> </p><p>“Ugh- you can’t track down a <em> demon</em>, Fig.” Sandra Lynn said, the tips of her fingers pressed together in front of her. “You can’t- sneak around and spend all night making lists- did you get <em> any </em> sleep last night?”</p><p> </p><p>Fig thought distantly of that twenty-minute nap. “...Yes.” </p><p> </p><p>Sandra Lynn stared at her for a moment. “Obviously not enough, oh for gods sakes. You have <em> school! </em> You cannot just skip the first day of high school!”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, technically sneaking out and skipping school would be a super rogue thing to do, so I think I’m fucking acing adventuring school already.” </p><p> </p><p>“You got caught thirty seconds after leaving your bedroom.” Sandra Lynn said, scowling and gesturing vaguely towards their house forty feet away, and Fig waved a dismissive hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Close enough.” </p><p> </p><p>Sandra Lynn shook her head quickly, waving her hands. “We’re getting distracted. The point is, wherever you were planning on going is not happening. I’m driving you to school, you are going to go, you’re going to have a great time and learn lots… and then tonight you’re going to get a full eight hours sleep!” </p><p> </p><p>Fig groaned. “You’re not even going to fly me in on Baxter like a cool person?” </p><p> </p><p>“Baxter has been out flying all night because we have jobs, so he is going to get some sleep, which <em> you </em>should have been getting last night.” Sandra Lynn narrowed her eyes at Fig, who just shifted uncomfortably on the spot, grumbling to herself. “We’re leaving in five minutes.” </p><p> </p><p>Sandra Lynn marched her back to the house, sticking close to Fig the whole time, making sure she had all her books and everything else she needed, and that she didn’t try to sneak away again (which she definitely would have if the opportunity had arisen). </p><p> </p><p>For a brief moment, Fig considered just cutting and running, but she’d tried that once and hadn’t gotten very far. Maybe rogue classes weren’t such a bad idea.  </p><p> </p><p>The trip was almost obnoxiously awkward, and Fig spent most of it sulking and looking out the window, wondering exactly how injured she would get if she just opened the car door and rolled out like in the movies. She wouldn’t get <em> that </em>bruised up, right? </p><p> </p><p>Still, she never ended up doing it, and as they pulled up to Aguefort Adventuring Academy, Fig stared at the main building in distaste, squinting suspiciously at every student she could see.</p><p> </p><p>Sandra Lynn put the car into park, staring out the windshield. “Look, Fig, I’ve told you. There’s nothing to find. What you’re doing isn’t healthy.” </p><p> </p><p>“You don’t know that there’s nothing!” Fig said. “Just cause <em> you </em> never tried to find him for fifteen years doesn’t mean <em> I </em> won’t find him.” </p><p> </p><p>“You-” Looking through the corners of her eyes, Fig saw Sandra Lynn’s face twist into a myriad of mixed emotions, before her face hardened. “Just- get to class, Fig. Make some friends.” </p><p> </p><p>Fig grumbled something close to an answer before kicking the door open, since the car was so old and shitty the door handle didn’t even work properly and stormed out, stomping onto the path to the school. She told herself not to look back but found herself glancing over her shoulder, seeing her mother exhale a heavy, deflated sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before climbing over the seat to close the door Fig had left open.</p><p> </p><p>Fig hurried away before any dumb feelings like <em> guilt </em>could sway her into going back. She strode towards the main building, eventually slowing down to really take it in.</p><p> </p><p>It was, admittedly, an impressive campus. The main building was triple-storied, with grassy fields out front dotted with groups of students, big wide windows, and the name of the school carved into the top, smaller auxiliary buildings off to the side, and behind the main building.</p><p><br/>Whatever. Maybe there’d be <em> something </em>interesting in this place. Maybe even something useful. She’d keep an eye open.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i think fig's is my favourite of all the intro chapters, and overall she's been one of the most fun for me to write shes just so good sdfgfsgsdfgsgf all that rebellious energy channeled into her idea of the perfect detective</p><p>and finally we have finished the intros yeehaw now for the fun to begin <br/> </p><p>anyway if you're wondering where gilear is... don't worry about it </p><p>he's fine</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. How Interesting Could A First Day Be?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fig finds that school might be more exciting than she thought. Fabian discovers his new familiar has opinions. Adaine weighs up her options.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Stomping along the path, Fig couldn’t help but get distracted by her surroundings despite her initial determination at hating every second of it. </p><p> </p><p>There were still ten minutes or so before the first bell was supposed to ring, so there was probably time to have a <em> little </em>snoop around, right? To observe her new classmates, see if any of them were suspicious. Suspicious of what, she didn’t know. But suspicious. </p><p> </p><p>It was an eclectic student body. Elmville had a majority human population but Aguefort Adventuring Academy had almost any race you could imagine, with elves and half-orcs standing together and chatting, pixies flying overhead to catch up with friends… was that a bear? </p><p> </p><p>Fig stared for a moment, her eyes wide, before she nearly ran right into somebody, barely dodging around them before she collided. When she straightened up again, the bear had disappeared around a corner of the building or something, and to be honest, she wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t a hallucination brought on by sleep deprivation. </p><p> </p><p>Shaking her head, Fig kept on walking. Most of the other students were either heading towards the building as well or standing in groups off to the side, uncaring for the imminent start to the school day. Except for one half-orc that stood still in the middle of the walkway, dressed in an unzipped hoodie with a rainbow tie-dyed shirt underneath, a small grey object held out in one hand, and a tall, wonky-looking metal staff in his other. </p><p> </p><p>Suspicious!</p><p> </p><p>Slowing her pace as she approached, Fig veered to the side of the path, kneeling down and pretending to tie her shoelace but really taking the excuse to get a closer look at the half-orc. He was slouching, making him seem a bit shorter than he really was, with floppy dark hair that drooped over one of his eyes. The small metal object in his hand was… a flower?</p><p> </p><p>He was still just standing there, holding the flower out towards anyone who got close before withdrawing when they were inevitably more focused on their own destination and life, looking very uncomfortable to be doing it at all. </p><p> </p><p>Okay, he just seemed like an awkward dork. Maybe not suspicious. Fig finished pretending to tie her shoelaces and stood up again, adjusting her satchel and preparing to head inside when someone actually approached the half-orc.</p><p> </p><p>A little goblin, maybe a couple inches taller than her waist, dressed in a dark grey hoodie and with a massive axe strapped to his back, was staring up at the half-orc. Of course Fig decided to hang around to see what would happen next. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, hi.” The half-orc seemed slightly surprised than anyone had stopped. “Want a flower?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why? Cause you think I’m <em>weak? </em> ” The goblin did not sound like he believed his own words at all, his voice awkwardly projected, shifting into a stance like he was undecided between throwing a punch and running for his life. He wasn’t even as tall as the half-orc’s <em> hips</em>. </p><p> </p><p>After a moment, he seemed to make a decision, rearing back with one fist and punching him straight in the kneecap.</p><p> </p><p>“Ow!” The half-orc jerked back, lifting his leg a little. “That hurt!” </p><p> </p><p>“It- it sure did! Cause I’m tough!” The goblin definitely looked to be regretting his decisions, especially as some other students took notice. </p><p> </p><p>“Wait, you were able to punch him enough that it actually hurt?” Fig couldn’t help herself. “Yikes.” </p><p> </p><p>The goblin’s ears pricked up, and some students began to gather around.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, did that goblin just punch somebody?” </p><p> </p><p>“What’s his deal?”</p><p> </p><p>“Is that an axe? No way that goblins a fighter or something.”</p><p> </p><p>At that final remark, the goblin’s ears flattened against the side of his head, and he turned back to his unfortunate target. “I’m a barbarian!” He shouted for anyone that was listening, before darting around the half-orc and punching him again, this time in the back of the knees.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately for him, the already off-balance half-orc was unprepared, his legs buckling beneath him, arms windmilling wildly as he fell backwards. Directly on top of the goblin.</p><p> </p><p>There was a loud thud and a half-sympathetic, half-elated ‘oooooh!’ from the audience, Fig included. For a moment, there was stillness, and Fig wondered if she’d just seen someone get <em> crushed</em>. Then, beneath the half-orc, a flurry of muffled hisses and wriggling limbs. </p><p> </p><p>“For god's sake, what is going on over here?” A nasally, entirely unimpressed voice called out, the sea of students passing for a tall, thin woman, dressed in a pinstripe suit with a cigarette in her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>The half-orc had scrambled to get off of the goblin, jumping to his feet. “Uh-”</p><p> </p><p>“I was establishing dominance!” The goblin screeched, his hair sticking out every which way, eyes twitching. “I punched him!”</p><p> </p><p>The woman looking down at him over her nose, unimpressed, before looking to the half-orc. “You beat up this tiny goblin?” </p><p> </p><p>“NO! <em> I </em> beat <em> him! </em>” </p><p> </p><p>“Well, actually-”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I </em> am the aggressor! <em> I </em> am the violent one! <em> I </em>am not to be trifled with!” </p><p> </p><p>“Wow, two detentions and the day hasn’t even started,” The woman was devoid of compassion for the goblin’s cries, ripping off two red slips and handing them to the two students. “I’m so glad I chose this career.” </p><p> </p><p>With the fun over, most of the students dispersed before the woman could decide to hand out any more detentions for letting it happen. Fig jogged to get ahead of the most of the crowd, slipping into the main building with only a quick glance tossed over her shoulder to see the half-orc listening with slumped shoulders while the woman gave a very half-hearted lecture on why fighting was bad, the goblin not even bothering to pay attention and just walking away with a scowl.</p><p> </p><p>Okay, a fight (even a really weird one) within the first five minutes was a plus on the whole ‘going to school’ thing. And there was still a whole six minutes before the introductory assembly was supposed to start, plenty of time to do something interesting. </p><p> </p><p>She wandered around the halls for a while, ducking around people, making a face at anyone who looked at her strangely, and peering into every window she could find.</p><p> </p><p>Then she came across the door with the label ‘Teacher’s Lounge’.</p><p> </p><p>Yeah, <em> duh, </em>she was going in there. </p><p> </p><p>Creaking the door open, she didn’t see any teachers inside, just a fairly normal lounge with a small kitchenette equipped with a microwave, fridge kettle, and some mugs, a table, some couches scattered around, even a potted plant that looked like it had been mostly neglected over the summer holidays. Perfectly ordinary and kinda boring. </p><p> </p><p>Unless that was what they <em> wanted </em>her to think.</p><p> </p><p>Slipping inside, Fig promptly set about poking everything, nudging the potted plant with her foot to see if it did anything, flipping over cushions to discover any secrets. Eventually she approached the fridge, opening it up and rummaging through the lunches and food inside. </p><p> </p><p>One was helpfully marked with a post-it note saying “Do Not Touch! Professor Specterns Only!” so she pulled it out immediately, prying open the lid to see a translucent looking steak kind of thing. Fig went to poke it, only for her finger to go straight through, the area where the steak seemed to be cool to the touch. </p><p> </p><p>Gasping lightly, Fig tried to poke it a few more times, then grab at it. She was a few seconds away from upending the entire container to try and shake it out when the door opened again, the same woman Fig had seen reprimanding the half-orc and goblin standing in the doorway.</p><p> </p><p>They stared at each other for a moment, before the woman visibly groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh sweet Helio.” </p><p> </p><p>“You seem really unhappy to be here for a teacher,” Fig said, still holding the weird steak container. </p><p> </p><p>“You spend ten years at a godforsaken adventuring school as the vice-principal and dean for corrections, see how enthusiastic you are.” The woman drawled, taking a puff from her cigarette. </p><p> </p><p>Fig put the container down, slowly taking out a cigarette that she had found in a very old packet in the storage room at home. The woman raised an eyebrow as Fig lit it.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh. You got spunk, kid.” She said, blowing out the smoke. </p><p> </p><p>Fig grinned, and the woman continued, the sound of tearing paper filling the air. </p><p> </p><p>“Still gotta give you detention.” </p><p> </p><p>Her face fell. “Aw, seriously?” </p><p> </p><p>“Teacher’s Lounge is sacred, kid.” She shrugged, passing off the red slip. “Gotta have a line somewhere.” </p><p> </p><p>“Ugh, for a moment I thought you were cool.” Fig scowled, stuffing the slip into her pocket and stomping out of the room. “Just another adult taking my hopes and <em> crushing </em>them, I guess.” </p><p> </p><p>“Mmhmm. Straight after school, sweetie.” The woman said, closing the door behind Fig with a click. </p><p> </p><p>With a huff, Fig set off down the hallway again. At least detention meant she had an excuse to be home late. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Fabian had arrived at school relatively early, which was good for what he hoped to accomplish before the first bell rang. His father clapped him on the back as he got out before teleporting away and leaving him to his own devices, which was even better. </p><p> </p><p>The hallways were full as he navigated his way around, holding Hangman in his arms to avoid the dog being crushed or lost in the confusion. He wriggled and squirmed, not to try to get out of Fabian’s grip but just to look at everything, barking and growling at whatever caught his attention.</p><p> </p><p>“I hope you don’t do that in class,” Fabian said, looking around for some sign of where the library was.</p><p> </p><p><em> “What if someone deserves it?” </em>The voice was surprisingly low, considering the fluffy, adorable body it was coming out of. Fabian froze, staring down at Hangman. The dog stared back up at him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “What?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“You can talk?”</p><p> </p><p><em> “Of course I can talk to you, I’m a familiar.” </em> He made a sound suspiciously similar to a scoff. <em> “Now keep walking! I saw some very attractive girls over there.” </em></p><p> </p><p>“What? Wait- woah, hold on.” Fabian held Hangman up in front of his face. “Why didn’t you talk before?”</p><p> </p><p>Hangman stared at him for a moment, before beginning to lick one of his paws. Fabian shook his head. “Whatever, we have no time for girls, I need to steal a book for a girl.” He paused. “Okay, I have time for one girl in particular!” </p><p> </p><p>Hangman’s tail began to wag excitedly, ears pricking up. <em> “Ooh, who? Where is she? Is she very beautiful?”  </em></p><p> </p><p>Fabian grinned, beginning to walk again and dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “She’s not at this school, she goes to Hudol, she’s very sophisticated and I need to impress her.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Ohoho, and then you’re going to kiss her?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I believe that is generally the plan, isn’t it? Find a girl, steal a book so she thinks you’re cool, kiss her, and then marry her or whatever.” Fabian looked up, seeing a few steps that led up to the next part of the building. At the top of the steps was a small crowd of people, including a senior that seemed to be flagging down anyone that made even the briefest eye contact. </p><p> </p><p>“Bring back Prom King and Queen! Vote today before assembly!” The senior called out, a slim half-elven brunette that looked like the kind of girl whose picture they’d put on pamphlets to advertise the school. Just a little too perfect. “Bring back Prom King and Queen!” </p><p> </p><p>Curious, Fabian approached the senior, and the small table behind her set up with a box for votes to go in, and signs repeating what she was saying aloud. She was already pushing a ballot into the not-quite-enthused-but-resigned hands of a goblin boy in a hoodie before she caught his eye.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, freshman?” The senior smiled at him as he walked up, and when he nodded, her smile widened. “I’m Penelope Everpetal, that is a super cute dog.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why thank you,” Fabian said, flashing a winning smile back. “I am, of course, Fabian Aramais Seacaster, son of Bill Seacaster.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gosh, you’re like, the principal’s son?” Penelope gaped, and Fabian nodded again. The goblin who was still standing there glanced up at him too, one eyebrow raised.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, that is so cool.” Penelope looked him up and down, taking in the suit, <em> just </em>worn enough that it was still clean but didn’t look like it had been bought yesterday. “You’re even dressed like him, that is like… the cutest thing.” </p><p> </p><p><em> “Invite her to pet me! Girls love that shit!” </em>Hangman squirmed in his grasp, paws batting against his arms. He didn’t make any sounds, his voice instead seeming to project directly into his brain. </p><p> </p><p>“Would you like to pet my familiar? He’s very soft.” Fabian held Hangman out, and Penelope gasped, grinning.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gosh, definitely!” Penelope began stroking the top of Hangman’s head, glancing over her shoulder. “Dayne, get over here right now, this freshman’s got a super cute dog!” </p><p> </p><p>After a moment, a tall, broad senior appeared behind Penelope’s shoulder, a slightly interested look on his face. Strapped to his back was a weapon taller than Fabian, and the letterman jacket he was wearing indicated great physical prowess. </p><p> </p><p>“Huh, babe?” Dayne said, before noticing Hangman. “Oh, cute.” </p><p> </p><p><em> “Oho! Fabian, you must duel this man!” </em> Hangman said, barking once in real life as Dayne reached out to scratch his ears. <em> “We must win the- oh- oh wait, that feels pretty good- hang on-”  </em></p><p> </p><p>Yeah, at least Aelwyn was definitely single. No duels required. </p><p> </p><p>“So adorable,” Penelope said before her eyes snapped back up to Fabian. “So are you two going to vote?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, uh- sure!” Fabian said, shuffling Hangman to one arm and going up to the table to fill out the small piece of paper Penelope gave him and stick it into the box. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay?” The goblin began to do the same, turning to fill out the ballot. As he did, Dayne (and Fabian) took notice of the axe that was strapped to his back.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s a pretty big axe for such a little dude,” Dayne said, tapping the top of it and humming. “Wow. The real deal, too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, yeah, of course it is.” The goblin said, chuckling nervously. “Why would anyone bring a fake axe to school?” </p><p> </p><p>“Dunno. Just surprising.” Dayne shrugged, before turning over his shoulder and beginning to chat to someone behind him.</p><p> </p><p>“Of all the things that people find weird, why is a goblin with an axe really the big one?” Fabian heard the goblin mutter under his breath, scowling.</p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s a very cool axe,” Fabian piped up. “Very menacing.” </p><p> </p><p>The goblin glanced up at him, momentarily wary before his face softened a little. “Oh- thanks. Your… dog is cool too. It’s just- weird, like no one can believe I can actually hold an axe, like- uh, how unimaginative can you be.” </p><p> </p><p>“You calling my boy unimaginative?” Another voice sounded behind Dayne, a half-orc solidly pushing some other poor student out of the way to side-step Dayne and face down Riz.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” The goblin visibly stiffened, spinning around to face him. </p><p> </p><p>“Yo, Ragh, chill,” Dayne said mildly, completely unperturbed. The half-orc, dressed in ripped sweatpants (not ripped jeans, ripped <em> sweatpants</em>) and a faded t-shirt, had his hands up like he was ready to either throw a punch or cast a spell at any moment. </p><p> </p><p>“Nah, I think this dude was dissing you!” Ragh scowled.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, we don’t need to overreact to anything-” Fabian chuckled nervously, but the goblin was not having it. </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Well-</em>” He began, his tone of voice the same as someone that was gearing up for a long, fiery debate. “Maybe I was. Maybe I find it really frustrating when all most people can do is be surprised that someone of my size is actually capable of holding an axe!” </p><p> </p><p>Ragh squinted down at him for a moment. “I mean… you’re tiny though.” </p><p> </p><p>Fabian saw the goblin’s eye twitch, the only warning before he punched Ragh straight in the kneecaps, the unsuspecting half-orc jumping back in shock. Penelope and Dayne both gasped, other students around them immediately honing in on the action.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, is that goblin gonna fight someone <em> again?!” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Where’s a teacher?”</p><p> </p><p>The goblin stumbled backwards, seemingly filled with instant regret. “I can’t get double detention… is that even a thing?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think it is,” Fabian said, still trying to process exactly what was happening.</p><p> </p><p>The goblin glanced up at him, then at Ragh, who had swiftly recovered himself and did <em> not </em>look happy. “I’m not risking it.” </p><p> </p><p>Without another word, he bolted, quickly vanishing into the throng of students.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Ragh shouted, taking off and trying to follow, but nowhere near as dextrous as the goblin. </p><p> </p><p>For a few moments, Fabian stood there in stunned silence. </p><p> </p><p><em> “Do you think that happens often here? I love this school!” </em>Hangman yapped cheerfully.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow,” Penelope said, blinking once before brushing down her skirt. “That was weird!” </p><p> </p><p>Fabian smiled nervously, glancing in the direction Ragh and the goblin had disappeared down and hoping the library wasn’t that way. “Well, it was wonderful to meet you Penelope and, uh, Dayne, but I really must be going now!”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh sure, sure. Tell all your friends to come vote!” Penelope said, waving at him before immediately pivoting to the next person to vaguely breathe in her direction. </p><p> </p><p>Fabian quickly escaped before anything else could happen, resuming his search for the library. Thankfully, he managed to find it without any more interruptions. Outside the door to the library was a short human girl, with dusty orange hair pulled up in a ponytail angled slightly to the side by a scrunchie, wearing an orange shirt with the logo for some camp Fabian had never heard of and a white long-sleeved shirt underneath, leaning against the wall with a notebook that looked more like it had more collages, stickers, and bookmarks than words in it. </p><p> </p><p>She was entirely distracted by writing something into the book (with a sparkly gel pen) to notice Fabian slipping into the library, which was almost entirely empty at this time of day. </p><p> </p><p>It was easy to find the restricted section since there was a sign hanging from the ceiling that read ‘Restricted Section: No Student Access’ then, in a smaller print that seemed to have been added with a sharpie ‘Try It. I Dare You.’.</p><p> </p><p>“Ohoho, a challenge,” Fabian whispered, grinning.</p><p> </p><p>He sidled up close to the restricted section, scanning through all the books until he found <em> Watches and Wards </em> sitting on a pedestal near the front, with no other books displayed next to it. It was blue, with no fancy cover, it didn’t even seem to have any runes or wards surrounding it for protection. </p><p> </p><p>Fabian frowned. He could just walk up to it and snatch it, that seemed way too easy. Looking over his shoulder to make sure no librarian or teacher was nearby, he considered it for a moment before deciding to play it safe, placing Hangman on the ground and telling him to keep a lookout while he summoned a Mage Hand, calling the book to his hand. </p><p> </p><p>It was heavy, but nothing extreme. No spell went off, no protection triggered. </p><p> </p><p>“Huh,” Fabian said. “That was easy.” </p><p> </p><p><em> “Of course it was! You’re an excellent wizard, aren’t you?” </em>Hangman said, tilting his head up at him. </p><p> </p><p>“Hmm,” Fabian said, before relaxing. “You’re right. Aelwyn will be so impressed, don’t you think?” </p><p> </p><p>He turned to escape the scene of the crime, book in one hand, and digging in his pocket for his crystal in the other.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gosh, you’re allowed to bring dogs to school?” He startled to a stop, seeing the human girl still standing there, looking between him and Hangman with an excited sparkle in her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Quickly recovering himself, Fabian tucked <em>Watches and Wards</em> under his arm, clearing his throat. “He’s not just a dog, he’s my familiar.” He said smugly. Though if he kept getting asked about this, it might become annoying sooner rather than later.</p><p> </p><p>“Awesome,” The girl said. “Are you a wizard?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course,” Fabian puffed his chest out. “It’s very hard work, you know. What about you?” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I play my guitar, and magic happens.” The girl grinned. “I like to imagine it’s the manifestation of my devotion to Helio.” </p><p> </p><p>Fabian blinked. “So… you’re a… cleric?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, <em> technically</em>, I’m a bard, but I think I’m like, cleric adjacent.” </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think that’s how it works.” </p><p> </p><p>The girl shrugged, seemingly completely undeterred. “You know, it can seem complicated from the outside. I can like, tell you about it, or play some of my songs, I bet you’ll get it.”</p><p> </p><p>“No thanks, I’m perfectly happy with my own god.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, which one?” </p><p> </p><p>There was a beat of silence.</p><p> </p><p>“... none?” </p><p> </p><p>The girl blinked at him for a moment, as if processing it, when suddenly there was hand pushing her into the wall, not hard enough to really hurt but hard enough to knock her to the ground with a surprised yelp, the book she was holding going sprawling, Hangman and Fabian jumping back.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Fabian called out to the culprit, a hastily retreating drow in a letterman jacket that had obviously had the red parts dyed black, with purple and red-streaked hair. </p><p> </p><p>The drow spun around on his heels and made some kind of weird goth symbol with his hands before disappearing into the throng of students.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on here?” Another voice boomed, and Fabian turned to see a tall, wide, and stocky human walk up, obviously a teacher with a bald head mostly covered by a sports cap and a whistle around his neck. “Oh my gosh, Kristen, are you alright?”  </p><p> </p><p>“That kid over there knocked her down,” Fabian reported, pointing vaguely in the direction the drow had gone. “He had a black sports jacket?”</p><p> </p><p>The teacher sighed, crouching down and picking up the notebook the girl — Kristen, apparently — had been holding, offering a hand to help her up. “That’d be Zayn. Talented athlete, terrible with social skills. Jeez, kids, I’m sorry about that.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m good, it’s all good.” Kristen waved the teacher’s hand once she was stood up, brushing the dust from her cargo shorts. “Forgive and forget, right?” </p><p> </p><p>“Of course, of course. I gotta say, Kristen, it’s good to see you.” The teacher nodded, before glancing at Fabian. “You’re Bill’s boy, aren’t you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, yes! Yes, that’s me,” Fabian said, and the teacher smiled warmly.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it’s wonderful to meet you! I’m Coach Daybreak, head of all the sports teams. Your dad talks about you a lot, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>“He does?” Fabian’s eyes widened. “I mean, of course he does. All excellent things, I’m sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh sure! He keeps lists of all the kinds of enemies and monsters you’ll probably brutally kill before you graduate. Real exciting.” Daybreak nodded, and Fabian felt his smile waver a little.</p><p> </p><p>Of course. The idea that all of the teachers in this school already knew who Fabian was was something that he hadn’t actually considered until now. Who knew what kind of expectations they would have. Expectations that he would absolutely destroy regardless, of course. Of course. </p><p> </p><p>“Awesome!” Was what he actually said. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, I’m real sorry about that again, Kristen, some kids can just be so rude, here,” Daybreak passed back Kristen’s notebook, which, now that Fabian looked closer, seemed to be more akin to a songbook, notes scrawled across the page and lyrics scribbled out in the margins. </p><p> </p><p>“Thanks, it’s fine, really,” Kristen said, tucking her songbook under her arm where it would presumably be safer. </p><p> </p><p>All at once, Fabian remembered that he had <em> Watches and Wards </em>in his hands, just out in the open. Daybreak hadn’t seemed to have noticed yet, striking up a conversation with Kristen about Helio and the nature of forgiveness or whatever, but if he got caught now then it was all for naught.</p><p> </p><p>“Wonderful to meet you both, but I still need to find my locker, so-” Fabian began, pivoting on his heel and preparing to walk away, only to nearly smash directly into a rock wall.</p><p> </p><p>Except the rock wall wasn’t a rock wall at all but rather, a person made out of rocks.</p><p> </p><p>“Gah!” Fabian froze before he could break his nose, the book held up in front of him protectively. </p><p> </p><p>The man, an earth genasi, stared down at him, then at the book. One eyebrow <em> slowly </em>raised up, and Fabian felt his heart sink. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh-”</p><p> </p><p>“Stealing a book from the library?” The man asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhhhhhh-” </p><p> </p><p>“Daybreak, can you take this book to the principal’s office?” </p><p> </p><p>Daybreak looked up from his conversation with Kristen. “Hmm? Oh, Porter, what’s going on?”</p><p> </p><p>“Theft from the restricted section.” Porter’s voice was almost entirely flat and monotonous, with a quality like he was gargling gravel. </p><p> </p><p>“Theft? There’s no theft here!” Fabian exclaimed, prepared to defend himself. “I <em> found </em>this book on the ground, I was going to return it!”</p><p> </p><p>Porter just stared at him, his eyes as dead as his voice. “That will be detention for attempted theft of school property.” </p><p> </p><p>Fabian felt his shoulders deflate, silently passing the book to Coach Daybreak. At his feet, Hangman began to growl, which was, unfortunately, more cute than intimidating.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Don’t accept it! Challenge him to combat! Defend yourself!” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Porter’s gaze slowly shifted down to the familiar on the ground, growling at him with hackles raised. “Hmm. Adorable.” </p><p> </p><p>Daybreak left with Fabian’s best chance at impressing Aelwyn, and Porter ripped off a slip of red paper, dropping it into his hand, leaving with a disappointed shake of the head.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow,” Kristen said from behind once both teachers were gone. “That looks rough.” </p><p> </p><p>Fabian felt his eye twitch, shoving the slip of paper into the pocket of his jacket and hiking his backpack up higher on his back. “I need to go find my locker.”</p><p> </p><p>He stalked off with a frown, Hangman trotting beside him. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Getting off the bus, Adaine didn’t have much she needed to do before the bells rang. She didn’t have any friends to catch up with, though it was a small comfort that the majority of the other freshmen were in the same boat in that regard. </p><p> </p><p>She felt self-conscious, walking around in the uniform of a whole other school, so she tried to walk quickly, ducking around people, and trying to find her locker as quickly as possible. All around her people were talking, high-fiving each other, discussing their adventuring parties or their teachers or the assembly that was going to be taking place.</p><p> </p><p>It was stressful. This school was, in a number of ways, all she’d been wanting for years. A school where she wouldn’t have to do magic classes that she was no good at, and where the majority of students had probably never heard of the Abernant family. But that meant no one had heard of her, or knew anything about her, or would probably want to be her friend, much less form an adventuring party with her, and she desperately wanted everything to go right this time.</p><p> </p><p>When she did eventually find her locker, she spent an inordinate amount of time unpacking her backpack, aligning every book far neater than it needed to be, rearranging them in order of title, author, date of publication, just so that she could pretend she was busy and didn’t have to look at the other students around her. Nearly everyone else seemed completely at ease, confident of their place somewhere in the hierarchy, or determined to change that place.</p><p> </p><p>Her hand curled tighter around the hilt of her greatsword. She could belong here, eventually. Somehow. Hopefully. There had to be <em> somewhere </em>that she did, and it definitely wasn’t Hudol.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, the sharp ringing of the bell split the air, and all of the students still in the corridors began to hustle towards the auditorium, Adaine quietly joining their ranks. Once they got inside, she tried to find a row with people that seemed at least slightly friendly, but at that moment it was very difficult to tell, and after someone behind her exhaled loudly in irritation, she picked one at random, ending up sitting between two other students that were not at all interested in talking to her. </p><p> </p><p>So she sat, leaning back in the chair and folding her arms across her chest, fingers drawing small circles on her elbow to try to release some of her nervous energy, looking up and around the room, counting how many tieflings she saw, then how many genasi, then how many pixies, trying not to think about how much her stomach was churning until she was finally interrupted by a flashy explosion of colour on stage.</p><p> </p><p>“Alllllllllright!” William Seacaster appeared from the dust, not using a microphone but not even needing it for how loudly his voice boomed on its own. “Let’s get this over with!” </p><p> </p><p>There was a smattering of claps, some more polite than others, and one noticeably more enthusiastic than anyone else. Adaine did not clap, her fingers pressing into the skin of her arms. </p><p> </p><p>The principal cleared his throat, pulling out a small set of flashcards. “Welcome to Aguefort Adventuring Academy! I am Bill Seacaster, principal and ruler of this school and the greatest wizard most of you children will ever have the <em> pleasure </em>of seeing with your own two eyes!” </p><p> </p><p>Adaine had met Bill Seacaster multiple times in her life and had had a handful of conversations with him, which had mostly given her the impression of a man with absolutely no restraint or brain cells despite his wizarding prowess. When she was younger, he had been absolutely terrifying, and now, she could only wonder how he’d gotten this job in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>“I became the ruler of this school by defeating its founder in combat three centuries ago!” Ah, well, that explained it. “And if he ever steps foot on this campus again it’ll be the last thing he ever does!” He laughed uproariously at himself, to the awkward silence of almost everyone else in the room. </p><p> </p><p>“And the same goes for anyone else who tries to defeat me! Including any of you!”</p><p> </p><p>“Do we get the school if we beat you?” Some brave soul called out.</p><p> </p><p>“Absolutely!” Seacaster shouted, jabbing a finger in the direction of the student that had interrupted.</p><p> </p><p>“Do we get to graduate immediately if we beat you?” </p><p> </p><p>“Definitely!” </p><p> </p><p>Hmm. <em> That </em>would probably shut her parents up for a bit. Of course, Adaine wasn’t daft or desperate enough to seriously consider challenging Bill Seacaster to a fight. Not in freshman year anyway. </p><p> </p><p>“But a word of warning to anyone who even thinks they have a <em> chance, </em>or <em> desire </em>.” Bill’s voice turned serious and slow, the wide, manic grin sliding from his face. “I study the greatest form of magic that has ever or will ever be invented: chronomancy. Time itself bends to my will!” </p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of pure silence after that declaration.</p><p> </p><p>Wasn’t this supposed to be a welcome assembly? </p><p> </p><p>“Woo! That’s right!” Someone cheered, and almost every head in the room swivelled to the source, except Adaine’s. She just slunk lower into the chair, sighing.</p><p> </p><p>On stage, Bill laughed. “That’s my boy!” He cheered, chuckling to himself for another few seconds before finally looking down at the flashcards in his hands, which as far as Adaine could tell, had pictures rather than words on them. “Now, onto the announcements.” </p><p> </p><p>He traced his hand in the air before another flashy explosion lit up the stage, a sound like fireworks splitting the air and smoke covering the entire stage from view for a few moments. When it dissipated, Bill was gone, and one of the other teachers walked up to his place, a tall, thin woman who looked entirely unamused, holding a microphone.</p><p> </p><p>“And that was our principal.” She said, not even attempting some enthusiasm. ”And I am Vice-Principal Doreen Schantz, if you want a problem solved… do not bring it to me, because I do not care.” </p><p> </p><p>The rest of the assembly was rather dull in comparison to its introduction, explaining where the guidance counsellor’s office was, which clubs were having meetings or tryouts that afternoon or lunch, and that, for freshman, they all needed to stay after school to form their first adventuring party, which seemed a bit sudden in Adaine’s opinion.</p><p> </p><p>But maybe sudden was good. Maybe the earlier she got in some kind of group, the better she’d be. Or maybe it would be absolutely terrible because no one would want a stranger like her in their group so she wouldn’t get one and she’d be stuck with no adventuring party forever. A problem to mull over (and over and over) until the end of the day. </p><p> </p><p>Classes started almost immediately after assembly, filled with introductions and overviews of the year and, worst of all, ice breakers. A little over half of Adaine’s classes were fighter-specific, with the rest being general maths and science that the teachers freely admitted were generally not considered as important, mostly there to fill government requirements and to give students classes to drop if they decided to multi-class. </p><p> </p><p>Lunch rolled around, and Adaine had already resigned herself to sitting alone, scanning the cafeteria while she was waiting in line for any spots that looked appropriately isolated without just being in a corner where she’d look really pathetic. </p><p> </p><p>Ahead of her, a human girl was chattering up a storm with the person in front of her, who did not seem particularly pleased to be part of the conversation, answering everything with a vague ‘mmhmm’, ‘oh?’ and ‘interesting’. </p><p> </p><p>When they finally got up to the point of being served, he half-turned around to face the girl, and at the moment that he looked behind him and locked eyes with her, Adaine suddenly recognised him.</p><p> </p><p>God he looked weird in a suit. At least she was now more confident in her decision to not wear her formal uniform. </p><p> </p><p>“Adaine?” He blinked, before there was a wave of relief on his face, looking back to the other girl. “Kristen! Look, this is my good friend, Adaine! I bet she’d love to hear all about your music and Helio and… whatever else.” </p><p> </p><p>Adaine opened her mouth to tell Fabian that they were <em>definitely </em>not friends, but the human girl turned around, immediately curious.</p><p> </p><p>“You two are friends?” </p><p> </p><p>“No,” Adaine said immediately. “We are acquaintances at best.”</p><p> </p><p>She saw Fabian roll his eyes before moving on, though he hadn’t quite been successful in his goal of distracting Kristen.</p><p> </p><p>“How do you two know each other? I don’t think there’s anyone I know that came to Aguefort.” Kristen said. </p><p> </p><p>“Our families run in the same wizarding circles,” Fabian said, and Kristen ‘ooh’ed. </p><p> </p><p>“That’s so cool. Are you a wizard too, then?” Kristen asked, looking at Adaine. </p><p> </p><p>“... No.” Adaine looked away, biting the inside of her cheek. “I’m a fighter.” </p><p> </p><p>“Awesome.” Kristen seemed impressed regardless, her eyes widening slightly. “Oh, of course, you’ve got a sword. I used to practise sword-fighting with my brothers when I was younger, but I was <em> so </em>bad at it.” She chuckled. “And my little brothers are like, almost a decade younger than me.”</p><p> </p><p>Adaine hesitated, glancing over Kristen’s shoulder to see Fabian now distracted by getting his food, asking the tall, red dragonborn behind the counter if there were any other options and not seeming pleased with whatever the answer was. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s… it’s easier if you learn proper technique. I learned greatsword stuff from videos online.” She said slowly, looking back at Kristen. </p><p> </p><p>“You taught yourself? That’s really cool.” Kristen said earnestly, and Adaine found herself smiling.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, yeah, I had other sword-fighting lessons but, I thought the greatsword was cooler- it took me a while, but it was really fun.” She said. Maybe Fabian had been good for something. “What’s your class?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I’m a bard!” Kristen perked up, opening one of the comically large pockets on her cargo shorts and pulling out a collaged songbook. “I like to write all my own songs, a lot of them are about the corn god, as one does.”</p><p> </p><p>“See, this was my first one, I wrote it when I was like, eight.” She opened up to the first page, which had the messy scribbles of a song. Adaine only saw it for a few seconds, but counted the word ‘corn’ at least half a dozen times. </p><p> </p><p>“You’ve been writing songs since you were eight?” Adaine asked, and Kristen nodded. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! I’m actually part of the worship team at my church, and on camps I get to play some of them to the kids and tell stories about Helio and all his amazing deeds.” She seemed to be bragging a little, but in a relatively lowkey way, and Adaine didn’t mind, since it was someone actually talking to her and somewhat enjoying it. </p><p> </p><p>“That’s pretty impressive,” Adaine said politely. “Uh, I’m Adaine, by the way. I didn’t really properly introduce myself, that was rude.”</p><p> </p><p>Kristen blinked, before breaking out into a short laugh. “Oh yeah! And I’m Kristen, obviously. And you already know Fabian.” She pointed behind her, where Fabian was now vehemently arguing with the dragonborn, who was telling him to accept his corn sludge and <em> enjoy </em> it. A fluffy dog at Fabian’s feet was yapping incessantly, and Adaine distantly wondered where <em> that </em>had come from. </p><p> </p><p>“I… do. Not very well.” Adaine said, a disheartening thought crossing her mind. “Were you going to be sitting with him?” </p><p> </p><p>Kristen shrugged, entirely ignoring the chaos behind her. “I guess so.”</p><p> </p><p>Adaine nodded slowly, quietly considering whether the possibility of getting a new friend in Kristen was worth sitting next to Fabian for the entire lunch break, when the other option was sitting alone. Yes, she decided. It was worth it. </p><p> </p><p>“What’s the hold-up?!” Someone complained from behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts. A tall, beefy half-orc had stepped out of line, looking like he was at least a junior, wearing a faded t-shirt for an unrecognizable band and chains around his jeans in place of a belt. </p><p> </p><p>Everyone else in line looked to Fabian and the lunch… server? The dragonborn wasn’t a woman, the name tag reading ‘Goldenhoard’ so Adaine didn’t think lunch lady was appropriate. Lunch lad? Yeah, that worked. The lunch lad looked not at all happy to be there, groaning theatrically. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m just saying, there <em> has </em> to be another option!” Fabian protested, his dog still yapping like mad at his feet seemingly just to be heard. He glanced over to the half-orc and made a face. “Oh, <em> you </em>again?” </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure it’s fine!” Kristen stepped forward as the half-orc stepped up, an empty lunch tray in one hand. “I bet the corn stuff is delicious!”</p><p> </p><p>“We’ve been waiting in line forever!” The half-orc continued to complain, stomping one foot on the ground and waving his hand in the air. Adaine recognised the movements of a Mage Hand spell the moment after it took effect, Kristen’s songbook flying out of her hands and into the kitchen, the only evidence of its descent being a loud and unappealing ‘gloop’ sound. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey!” Kristen exclaimed, leaning as close over the counter as she could go. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, that’s just rude!” Fabian scowled, before looking at Kristen and then at the line of irritated students behind him. “Fine! I guess I’ll just take this sludge!” </p><p> </p><p>He picked up his tray before glancing at Kristen again, putting it down a little further along the line and doing his own Mage Hand spell. After a moment, Kristen’s songbook was dragged out of a giant vat of corn sludge, floating over into her hands. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, thanks, Fabian,” Kristen said, trying to wipe the sludge off her book. Thankfully, the brief submersion hadn’t seemed to have done too much damage.</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, let’s just get some food and go,” Adaine mumbled, glancing at the half-orc, who at least seemed satisfied now that Fabian was gone. Using spells just to mess with other people… perhaps some things never changed no matter which school she went to.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>heeeeerrrre we go gang!!!!!!</p><p>some of the story beats are gonna seem pretty familiar, mostly cause they *are* gonna end up following a mystery and so some of the clues are in the same or similar places as they were in canon, but I think there's enough difference that it's fun anyways</p><p>anyway good job riz punching two students within like, five minutes</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Skipping Class and Skipping Manners</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Riz is NOT nervous, excuse you. Adaine makes a snap decision. Kristen forcibly assigns herself an adventuring party.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Riz did not attend his first barbarian class.</p><p> </p><p>Not because he was <em> afraid</em>, or because he looked in the window and saw a classroom full of half-orcs and gnomes and dwarves and goliaths that looked far buffer than him — he <em> was </em>strong, but his muscles were terribly poor at showing it — he just didn’t want to, so there. </p><p> </p><p>He figured he’d attend one of the later ones, walking in and offering a vague non-answer if the teacher asked him why he hadn’t attended the first. That way they’d all know he was cool. Yeah. That’d work. </p><p> </p><p>Until then, he was wandering the halls, hands stuffed in his pockets and axe strapped to his back. He stomped around, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground, so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice a girl turning the corner until he tried to do the same, running right into her. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah!” They both jumped back, shaking their heads like neither of them had been paying attention. </p><p> </p><p>Riz looked up, seeing a young tiefling who looked to be a freshman like him, or maybe a young-looking sophomore. Her skin was a reddish-pink and her hair a mousey sort of brown, tied back in two plaits. She was dressed in a preppy kind of white blouse, pink tartan vest and skirt kind of outfit, but there were heavy bags under her eyes and a cigarette in her hands that undercut a bit of the image she might have been going for.</p><p> </p><p>She squinted down at him for a moment, before her eyes widened. “Oh! You’re the one who punched that half-orc this morning!” Her mouth widened in a grin, and Riz just blinked.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh-” He decided to just be grateful she hadn’t referred to him as the one who had the half-orc <em> fall </em>on him that morning. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s me.”</p><p> </p><p>“That was kinda mean, you know, he didn’t really do anything.” The girl said, taking a puff from the cigarette. </p><p> </p><p>“Are those allowed?” Riz asked, one eyebrow raised.</p><p> </p><p>“Vice-Principal does it, it’s fine.” She shrugged, though there was a twinge of bitterness to her tone. “You’re a barbarian, aren’t you? Whatcha doin out of class?”</p><p> </p><p>“What are <em> you </em>doing out of class?” Riz counted, folding his arms. </p><p> </p><p>The girl chuckled. “I don’t even know where class <em> is</em>. Part of the rogue curr-ic-u-lum to find it, apparently.” She carefully enunciated the word ‘curriculum’ for no real reason, before glancing down the hallway, looking back at him with a gleam in her eyes. “So I’m looking for something else instead.” </p><p> </p><p>Riz hesitated for a moment, but he couldn’t help himself. “Like what?” </p><p> </p><p>The girl swept to the side, leaning dramatically against the closest lockers, striking a pose that she probably thought was very serious, her voice low and solemn. “I’m on a quest, you see? A soul-searching journey to find someone I’ve never known, someone I thought would be lost forever… you wouldn’t understand.” </p><p> </p><p>Riz stood there, before carefully and purposefully deciding to completely ignore that. “Look, I’m super bored so if you’re gonna try and snoop around in stuff I’m down for that. I can… I don’t know, break into places. With my axe.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, cool.” The girl pushed off the lockers, her voice and pose normal again. “I’m Fig, by the way.”</p><p> </p><p>She stuck out a hand, which he took. “I’m Riz.” Was this a friend? Had he made a friend now? </p><p> </p><p>Fig brought her hand back, a wry smile on her face before she began jogging down the empty hallway again. “Come on, I’m just exploring the whole place right now. If I’m <em> supposed </em> to be looking for my rogue teacher, no one would be able to tell I’m <em> not </em> doing that, right?” </p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” Riz followed her down the hallways, their footsteps echoing. Fig would peer into windows as they passed, looking in before abruptly ducking out of the way and flashing him a grin, pulling him around a corner before a teacher opened up the door to tell whoever they thought was out there to hurry up and get to class.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, they found themselves outside the main building. Fig wanted to check out the bloodrush field for ‘mysterious detective reasons, it’s such a long story’, but while they were figuring out exactly where that was, something caught Riz’s eye.</p><p> </p><p>“Hold up.” He tugged at Fig’s satchel, pulling her to a stop. “I see someone over there.” </p><p> </p><p>Across the quad, close to the student carpark, Riz pointed out a couple of people standing next to some elaborate looking motorised scooter of some kind. There were three of them, two girls and a boy, with one of the girls looking noticeably tense. </p><p> </p><p>“Hmm…” Fig said, before a smile curled onto her face. “Suspicious. Let’s check it out.” </p><p> </p><p>They began walking towards them, and as they got closer Riz was able to notice a bit more. The two girls were obviously a few years older than him and Fig, a half-elven brunette standing with her arms crossed and a slight frown on her face, and a blue-toned water genasi standing in between her and the man, who seemed just too old to be in high school at all. He was a tiefling, with darker red skin than Fig’s and greasy black hair, wearing a worn leather jacket and leaning against the scooter. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, he’s a tiefling,” Fig perked up, tapping Riz on the shoulder with the back of her hand. “We’ve got an in!”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, I recognise that brunette, she got me to vote on something this morning,” Riz said. What had been her name? Penelope.</p><p> </p><p>“Even better!”</p><p> </p><p>As they got closer, they began to hear some of the conversation between the trio, mostly light between the tiefling and the genasi, with Penelope staying fairly quiet. She was the one who noticed Riz and Fig approaching first, tilting her head towards them and frowning briefly.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello!” Fig jumped in before anyone else could say anything, jogging the rest of the distance up to them and sliding neatly into their loose circle. “You guys cutting class too?” </p><p> </p><p>Riz sidled up next to Fig, not inserting himself into the circle as neatly, but still unmistakably present. Penelope’s eyes widened in surprise, while the genasi and tiefling looked more amused than anything. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, you can call it that.” The genasi said, smiling lightly. “What are you two, sophomores?”</p><p> </p><p>“Freshman, actually. We’re just that hardcore, you know.” Fig shrugged, playing with one of her braids. “I’m Fig, this is Riz, couldn’t help but notice one of you is a tiefling, obviously,” She gestured up to her horns, looking pointedly at the other tiefling. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, any tiefling skipping class in my town is a friend. Names Johnny Spells.” The tiefling smirked, tilting his head up in greeting, before putting an arm around the genasi. “This is my girl, Sam.” </p><p> </p><p>Sam waved loosely, looking them both up and down, before gesturing to Penelope. “And this is Penelope.” Penelope did not wave, but she did give a forced half-smile, before giving Riz a double-take.</p><p> </p><p>“Aren’t you the kid that punched Ragh in the kneecaps?” </p><p> </p><p>Riz began to sputter some kind of answer before Johnny openly laughed, Sam giggling next to him.</p><p> </p><p>“No way, you actually punched Ragh?” Sam asked, covering her mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s hardcore, little man,” Johnny said, nodding. </p><p> </p><p>“So you two are like, together?” Fig asked, the picture of innocent curiosity. “Are you both seniors?” </p><p> </p><p>“Ain’t no school large enough to hold me down.” Johnny flipped his hair back, and Riz found himself oddly charmed by it. On one hand, a random dude not in school hanging around a high school during class time was sketchy.</p><p> </p><p>On the other hand… this dude kinda fucked. </p><p> </p><p>“Is that scooter yours?” Riz blurted out, pointing at the scooter. </p><p> </p><p>Up close, he could see now that it was a surprisingly impressive-looking motorised scooter, painted red and black with flame decals crawling up to the handle, large enough for two people to stand comfortably.</p><p> </p><p>It was, in the end, still just a motorised scooter, but it was a cool one. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Johnny said, looking down at him over a pair of sunglasses. “You got an eye for a nice ride?”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, I had a scooter once. There was no motor, and- it was second-hand, but I thought it was pretty cool.”</p><p> </p><p>“Could you do any cool tricks on it?” Fig asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh… I rode down some stairs on it once? And broke my arm?” Okay, that did not sound as cool as he thought it would, but Johnny still nodded solemnly.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s tight, daddy-o.” </p><p> </p><p>“Right, that’s great.” Penelope interrupted, seeming irritated. “But, uh, Sam, I still need to talk to you.” </p><p> </p><p>“You can’t just tell me now, Penelope?” Sam asked, and Riz saw Penelope’s face tighten. Glancing up at Fig, he saw her watching the exchange intently, while still keeping her posture casual, playing with the ends of her hair with her hands. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s kind of private, I don’t want to talk about it in front of some random freshmen?” Penelope tilted her head pointedly towards Riz and Fig, and Sam sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, I guess.” She sighed, slipping Johnny’s arm off her shoulder. “I’ll text you later, right babe?” </p><p> </p><p>“Totally.”</p><p> </p><p>Sam and Penelope began to head off, and Riz was torn between following them and staying to find out more about Johnny. Fig, for her part, seemed equally conflicted.</p><p> </p><p>Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, Johnny made the decision for them.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, it was rad, but I’m a busy guy.” He said, putting one foot onto his scooter before glancing at Fig. “If you ever want to hang and talk tiefling business, swing by.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, totally.” Fig sounded starstruck, and Johnny zoomed off with a final wave and the rev of a motor, tearing out of the parking lot very quickly, considering he was on a motorised scooter. Riz hadn’t thought those things could go faster than ten miles an hour, but apparently he was wrong. </p><p> </p><p>A beat passed before Fig spoke. “Wait, where am I supposed to swing by?” </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, where do tieflings hang out?” Riz asked, and Fig huffed.</p><p> </p><p>“How am I supposed to know? I only found out I was a tiefling over the summer!” She threw up her hands, shifting restlessly on her feet before pivoting. “Come on, we need to follow those other two. Penelope said she didn’t want to talk about it in front of <em> us</em>, but she was looking at <em> Johnny</em>. Something’s up.” </p><p> </p><p>They headed back, jogging in the direction they’d seen Sam and Penelope walk off to catch up, slowing down once they had them in sight again. They were chattering to each other, Penelope keeping her voice low enough that Riz couldn’t figure out what she was saying, but Sam had no such discretion, her voice echoing in the corridors just loud enough for him to hear her half of the conversation, or at least snippets of it. </p><p> </p><p>“-you’re so weird about him, sometimes, Pen, I’ve told you it’s fine-” </p><p> </p><p>“-right, right, I know, but I’m not an idiot. I’m being careful-” </p><p> </p><p>“-look, I <em> know </em>what happened to Penny-” Riz’s inhaled sharply, the breath catching in his throat, almost stopping dead in his tracks. Fig’s head snapped towards him, eyes wide.</p><p> </p><p>“What is it?” She asked, looking slightly concerned. “Is something wrong?”</p><p> </p><p>“We need to hear what they’re saying.” Riz hissed, his stomach churning as he picked up the pace. Fig sputtered for a moment before shutting up, following him as they jogged as quietly as they could around a corner just in time to see Sam and Penelope disappearing into the girls' bathroom. “Fig, you gotta go in there.”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s no way, if they see me again they might get spooked, and then they might stop talking altogether.” Fig frowned. “We need someone they have no reason to suspect.” </p><p> </p><p>Riz looked around frantically, finally laying eyes on a dwarvish girl spinning a hall pass on her fingers, heading down the corridor. He pointed her out to Fig, before jogging towards her. “Hey! Excuse me!” </p><p> </p><p>The dwarf turned around, a little startled by the sudden noise. “Woah, what’s going on?” </p><p> </p><p>“Hi, uh- what’s your name?” Riz asked, figuring politeness was maybe perhaps a good first step.</p><p> </p><p>“... Ostentatia?” She said, appearing very confused.</p><p> </p><p>“Nice to meet you! I need you to go into the girls' bathroom and tell me what some girls in there are saying!” Riz said, gesturing towards the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>Ostentatia was a few inches taller than Riz, with light dirty blonde hair and carefully maintained sideburns, and a very light fuzz on her cheeks and chin. Her wrists were adorned with bangles, and though she was quite muscular, she seemed fairly unassuming. “What?”</p><p> </p><p>“I will pay you. I will pay you to go in there and spy on them.” Riz said, before immediately realising how fucking weird he sounded. “Uh- I think one of them has a- uh, crush on one of my friends, and I want to know if they’re talking about him.” </p><p> </p><p>Fig chose that moment to jump in, backing him up. “Yeah, we’re trying to set them up, it’s super important!”</p><p> </p><p>“Why can’t you go in there yourself?” Ostentatia asked, looking at Fig, who just rolled her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Because they <em> know </em>I’m friends with the guy one of them maybe has a crush on, so they won’t say anything if I’m in there! C’mon, what will it take?” </p><p> </p><p>Ostentatia hummed for a moment, considering. “Twenty gold.”</p><p> </p><p>Riz sputtered for a moment, and a glance at Fig revealed she didn’t have anything close to that kind of cash either. “What about my axe? Wait, no, I can’t give you that.”</p><p> </p><p>“I have a really cool pen I stole from my mom’s work.” Fig offered. “Or we can steal something else.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh.” Ostentatia perked up at that.”Okay, okay, how about… some of that tea that Professor Seacaster drinks. I’ve heard it’s <em> insane.” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Odd request…” Riz muttered. “But sure! Wait here!”</p><p> </p><p>They left Ostentatia in the hallway, racing towards the principal’s office. It was locked, but after half a minute or so of fiddling with a set of lockpicks Fig pulled out of her bag — “found them in a bin outside a nightclub” Fig had said with a wink as if that answered more questions than it brought up — it was unlocked, and the two of them found a teabag sitting in a mug on Seacaster’s desk, waiting to be used. </p><p> </p><p>Ostentatia was visibly surprised to see them return, though she had waited patiently where they’d left her.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, I didn’t think you’d actually do it.” She held the tea bag up, grinning. “You two are wild.”</p><p><br/>“So will you do it?” Riz asked. </p><p> </p><p>“I mean, yeah, I guess now I have to,” Ostentatia said, tucking the teabag into her pocket. “We can catch up sometime later and I’ll tell you what I hear.”</p><p> </p><p>“Great!” Riz said, and after Ostentatia was inside the bathroom, he and Fig shared a high-five.</p><p> </p><p>“Excellent work, I think.” Fig nodded smugly. “Once again, fucking acing rogue classes.” </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, this has absolutely nothing to do with being a barbarian,” Riz said, still feeling a little sick to his stomach wondering about what Sam and Penelope might be talking about. <em> Who </em>they might be talking about. </p><p> </p><p>“Why did you get so weird all of a sudden back there?” Fig asked after a moment, and maybe Riz should’ve expected it. “Did they say something really suspicious?” </p><p> </p><p>Riz’s gaze fell to the ground, pulling at the sleeves of his hoodie. “No- I mean, kinda. It was… they mentioned Penny.” He glanced up slightly to see her reaction, but there was no recognition. “Penny Luckstone? She… went missing a couple of weeks ago.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh,” Fig said, before wincing. “<em>Oh… </em>I remember hearing about that now. Is… she a friend of yours?” </p><p> </p><p>A friend, <em> only </em>friend… he appreciated the present tense though. “Yeah.” </p><p> </p><p>“That sucks, dude,” Fig said in the kind of awkwardly sympathetic tone that could only really sound genuine coming from a fellow teen, patting him on the shoulder. “But hey, maybe we can figure out where she went.”</p><p> </p><p>Riz sighed sullenly. So much for focusing only on his schoolwork. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Adaine had dwelled on the idea of joining a club or sport for weeks prior to the first day of school. She had been on the junior bloodrush team in Hudol and had been perhaps the only competent member. It had been kinda fun, even if they had been absolutely destroyed by most other teams every single game because the rest of the team was a bunch of nerds. She’d been good at it, which was more than she could say for most other things at Hudol. </p><p> </p><p>But Aguefort would be different. They weren’t focused solely on wizards, on research and books and magic, so it followed logic that their extra-curriculars would be more diverse as well.  </p><p> </p><p>So when she saw a poster hung up on an announcement board about bloodrush team tryouts happening that day, she’d stared at it for a solid thirty seconds, committing every piece of information about it to memory. </p><p> </p><p>On one hand, she knew she could play bloodrush. Being the best junior player at Hudol wasn’t <em> much </em>of an achievement, but it still was one. Joining a sport was supposed to be a good way to make friends, find people with common interests.</p><p> </p><p>On the other hand, a tryout involved showing up. Talking to people. Trying to show off her skills to people that were probably far more comfortable than she was at any point in time ever. It had been easier when she was desperate for <em> anything </em>that didn’t involve magic. </p><p> </p><p>Still, somehow, in between debates with herself on the pros and cons (there were a lot of the latter), she found herself walking towards the bloodrush field. She saw the field filled with boys twice her size and came <em> extremely </em>close to pivoting and immediately walking away, but somehow found the strength to keep going. </p><p> </p><p>“Can I help you?” The coach asked when she walked up. “Need directions, freshman?”</p><p> </p><p>“I-” Oh this was going to be a disaster. “I want to try out for the team?” </p><p> </p><p>The coach looked down at her, and she could see the gears slowly turning in his head, actually looking at her properly.</p><p> </p><p>His eyes caught on the logo on her shirt, and his eyes narrowed. “That’s a Hudol uniform.”</p><p> </p><p>Blood rushing to her cheeks, Adaine was immediately aware of the glances of the other students, the ones closest to them appearing curious. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh- yeah, I-” She stammered, trying to explain herself when the coach’s eyes suddenly widened.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re that spitfire from their junior team!” He exclaimed, before laughing. “Oh! Decided to switch to the winning team, did you?” </p><p> </p><p>Oh god was this good? This sounded good. “Yes?”</p><p> </p><p>The coach laughed again, and when Adaine looked around, she could see some of the other students smirking and snickering to each other, joking about how terrible Hudol was. Which was fair. </p><p> </p><p>“Well! I’m Coach Daybreak, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The coach said, taking her hand and shaking it vigorously. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh- Adaine.” </p><p> </p><p>“Very nice, very nice. Well, Adaine, let’s see what they taught you at Hudol.” Coach Daybreak said, before turning towards the others, whistling loudly, and then shouting. “Alright! We’re gonna run some drills and see if Adaine here has what it takes to be on a <em> real </em>bloodrush team!”</p><p> </p><p>Adaine made a face, unsure if that was a subtle insult or not, but the players all whooped and hollered in response, running out onto the field.</p><p> </p><p>Daybreak got her to do some running drills first, which went great! Smaller than most of the other players by a hefty margin, Adaine found it easy to slip around the defense and weave her way around cones, which even earned her a couple of respectful nods from some of the older players. Her heart was pounding at every moment, and she was just desperately trying not to make a fool of herself in front of them all.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, let’s do some throwing!” Daybreak called out. The play was set up, Adaine was handed a ball, and off she went.</p><p> </p><p>Then she caught sight of the person she had to throw to. She hadn’t recognised him at first amongst the others because she’d never been focused on him, but it was the same kid that had gotten pissed at Fabian during lunch and tossed Kristen’s songbook into the pot with a Mage Hand spell. He’d pretty much gotten away with it too, even though Kristen had really done nothing wrong. </p><p> </p><p>Adaine’s eyes widened, and in an instant, she realised that maybe… this time she could get revenge. </p><p> </p><p>And that football went <em> straight </em>to the half-orcs face with all the force she could muster.</p><p> </p><p>It was a perfect shot, which Adaine was happy about for exactly two seconds before the half-orc fully jerked back, yelping in surprised pain, his hands flying to his face. All the other players jolted to a stop, either running to the half-orc’s aid or staring at her. </p><p> </p><p>“What the heck is going on here?!” Daybreak jogged over to the half-orc. “Ragh, what happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“She threw the fucking ball right at my face!” Ragh said in a nasally voice, holding his nose, his eyes welling up. “Oh my god, I think my nose is broken-” </p><p> </p><p>“It was an accident?” Adaine stiffened, regret immediately flooding in, her breath catching in her throat.</p><p> </p><p>“Looked pretty deliberate to me.” One of the other players said, patting Ragh on the back sympathetically. “His nose is bleeding!” </p><p> </p><p>Daybreak turned to her, throwing up his arms in defeat. All the other players were gathered around Ragh now, many shooting her dirty looks, others just offering to get him some water, an ice pack, to take him to the nurses office, to throw the ball at Adaine so hard it broke <em> her </em>nose.</p><p> </p><p>“That is <em> not </em>sportsman-like behaviour right there.” Daybreak shook his head, disappointed. “Did you throw it on purpose?” </p><p> </p><p>“Um-” Adaine’s face felt like it was on fire, her stomach twisting itself into knots, and before she could come up with a half-decent lie the truth slipped out. “Yes. But-” </p><p> </p><p>“Wow.” Daybreak interrupted before she could explain anything, and Adaine snapped her mouth shut, eyes dropping to the ground. “Well, I think this try-out is over, and you can stay behind after school for detention.”</p><p> </p><p>He quickly wrote out a slip of red paper and passed it to her, and Adaine quickly walked off the field with stiff shoulders, breaking into a run after she was certain she was out of sight of the bloodrush field and only slowing down once she thought she was far enough away.</p><p> </p><p>She stared at the red detention slip, walking the rest of the way to the girls' bathroom so she could hide into a stall until she felt normal again before heading to her next class. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, my parents are going to kill me.” She murmured to nobody. Then a second, more horrifying realisation. Aelwyn was never going to let her forget it. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kristen was having the best first day ever, it was actually crazy. For starters, bard class was incredible. Kristen got to talk for a full five minutes about Helio and her church and her songs before the teacher eventually interrupted her and asked her to let someone else have a turn introducing themselves and three fun facts about them.</p><p> </p><p>There were so many different kinds of people she’d never had a chance to meet before, even if most of them were pretty busy and didn’t have a lot of time to discuss things. She figured she already had like, fifteen friends (only a couple of whom were humans, take that Mom) and by the time the end of day rolled around, she was feeling great!</p><p> </p><p>The last ten minutes of the day was devoted to another assembly, but this one was just for freshmen. Bill Seacaster took to the stage again, this time announcing he was about to speak by slamming a sword directly into the stage, sending splinters splattering into the front rows.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Alright! </em>First of all, if any of ye are the one who broke into my office and stole my tea earlier today, let it be known that if I catch you I will skin you alive and hang you from the flagpole!” He bellowed.</p><p> </p><p>Predictably, no one admitted to the crime, and after a moment Bill continued, his anger inexplicably disappearing. “Second, all of you are going to be doing something very important this afternoon. Forging your very own adventuring parties!”</p><p> </p><p>He took a solemn breath, and Kristen found herself leaning forward. “Today, you will find the people that will become your crew, your team, your family. The people you will lay your lives down for! And the people that will lay down their lives for <em> you!</em>” He paused dramatically. “And of course, the people you will be completing every annual mission with for the rest of your schooling career. So choose wisely!” </p><p> </p><p>He laughed, and Kristen heard a few audible gulps from the students around her, people looking around, making eye contact with tentative friends, others trying very hard to <em> avoid </em>eye contact with some people. </p><p> </p><p>With a harsh cracking sound, Bill pulled the sword from the stage, raising it aloft. “This is perhaps one of the most important decisions you'll ever make in your adventuring careers! Which is why we force you to make it at the very beginning while you all still know <em> nothing! </em>Now go! Forge your destinies!”</p><p> </p><p>There was a moment of hesitant silence, and the vice-principal stepped up, once again holding the actual microphone that Bill hadn’t used at all. “Unless you have detention, you will be expected in detention.” She drawled.</p><p> </p><p>Another silence and the vice-principal tapped the microphone again. “Okay, go wild kids.”</p><p> </p><p>Pandemonium ensued. </p><p> </p><p>Kids immediately scattered, chairs were thrown, utter chaos filled the scene as people raced to get towards their favoured party members or away from people they didn’t want to touch with a ten-foot pole. Kristen instantly began scanning the crowd, trying to find the perfect group. A group that wouldn’t just benefit from her presence, but truly needed her. And maybe also the light of Helio. </p><p> </p><p>She found herself buffeted in the crowds, eventually ending up near the outskirts where some of the teachers were supervising. After a couple of minutes, one of them walked up to her.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Kristen, have you found a party yet?” Kristen glanced to the side to see Daybreak, and she shook her head, a determined smile on her face.</p><p> </p><p>“No, but I know they’re out there. Just gotta be discerning.” She steepled her fingers, squinting at the kids running around in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure, sure.” Daybreak nodded, glancing to the side before looking back at her. “But, if you wanted, I found a group full of kids that all really love Helio-”</p><p> </p><p>Kristen started, looking up to Daybreak, unable to hide her unenthused frown, and after a moment, Daybreak faltered. “No?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, I don’t want a group full of people that already like Helio.” Kristen sighed. “That’s just an echo chamber, I don’t need that.”</p><p> </p><p>She waved a dismissive hand. “I want new experiences! I want excitement! A challenge!” She gestured out towards the sea of freshman, and her eyes eventually fell on a group that the vice-principal was talking to. She recognised Fabian and Adaine in the group, with a couple of others she didn’t know and realised that must’ve been all the kids that had gotten detention.</p><p> </p><p>Now <em> that </em>was a group of kids that probably needed Helio. </p><p> </p><p>“I want to go with the bad kids!” She pointed, beaming up at Daybreak, who followed her finger, his face falling.</p><p> </p><p>“The bad kids? Kristen, no, you don’t belong with kids like <em> that </em>-”</p><p> </p><p>Kristen interrupted, nodding her head furiously. “No, no, you see, I think I <em> do</em>. Helio always walked around with sinners, this is <em> exactly </em>what he would do!” </p><p> </p><p>Daybreak grimaced. “But Kristen, this is your <em> adventuring party</em>, I don’t think-”</p><p> </p><p>But Kristen would not be deterred. “Just give me detention! Give me detention, and then I can go with them and it won’t be weird!”</p><p> </p><p>“Detention? What am I gonna give you detention for?” </p><p> </p><p>“Just say I did something bad!” Kristen bounced on her toes. “C’monnnn!” </p><p> </p><p>“Bad? Like what-”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, ooh- I went to a party recently, and I had this bottle of vodka but it <em> wasn’t </em>vodka, it was water, I poured out all the alcohol but pretended I was still drinking it to fit in,” Kristen whispered, completely unable to hide her delight at her brilliant plan. </p><p> </p><p>“You want me to give you detention for <em> not </em>drinking alcohol-”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah! Yeah! In fact, I want you to call me out <em> right </em> now and make a huge scene, make it seem like I did something <em> terrible.” </em>Kristen’s grin widened, holding her hands up to gesture to the entire room.</p><p> </p><p>Daybreak stammered for a few moments before finally sighing, looking around awkwardly before clearing his throat. “Alright- uh, attention everyone!”</p><p> </p><p>Only a couple of people looked their way, but he kept going. “Kristen Applebees… bore false witness!”</p><p> </p><p>Kristen froze, her grin cracking. “What?” She hissed. “A <em> cardinal sin?” </em> </p><p> </p><p>“That’s right! She lied! Cause- she… wasn’t drinking… vodka!” His shoulders deflated, his voice dropping to an embarrassed whisper. “I can’t say this, Kristen-”</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t have to go that hard!” Kristen hissed back. “You coulda said I stole something-”</p><p> </p><p>“She bore false witness!” Daybreak exclaimed, and Kristen tried to shout like she was disappointed and upset.</p><p> </p><p>Vice-Principal Schantz stared blankly at the two of them for a few moments. “Coach, that’s not a school rule.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, sounds like <em> I </em>got detention!” Kristen declared, marching over to join the other kids, tossing her hands up in defeat and snatching a pitifully offered red slip from Daybreak on the way. “How terrible! I am so upset!” </p><p> </p><p>Vice-Principal Schantz rolled her eyes. “Christ, these kids get weirder every year.” </p><p> </p><p>“Haha, what do I even do~” Kristen chuckled, before finally sliding right into the group of her fellow detention-bound students. Along with Fabian and Adaine, there was a goblin in a hoodie, a tiefling in a tartan vest and skirt, and a half-orc with large staff and a tie-dyed shirt underneath an unzipped hoodie, who Fabian was currently hiding behind. “Hey guys, I’m Kristen, nice to meet you-” </p><p> </p><p>“What did you just do?” The goblin asked, one eyebrow raised.</p><p> </p><p>“I bore false witness,” Kristen said proudly. </p><p> </p><p>“What does that mean?” The half-orc asked. Next to him, the tiefling muttered about that sounding kinda cool. </p><p> </p><p>“It means she lied,” Fabian said, peeking over the half-orc to glance at the stage.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you doing?” Kristen asked.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s hiding so his father doesn’t notice he got detention,” Adaine explained, her arms folded.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, some of us care what our parents think of us, so if we can move this along that would be <em> great</em>,” Fabian spoke through gritted teeth, ignoring Adaine’s scowl to push them all out into the hallway, following the vice-principal to detention. </p><p> </p><p>“So, uh, what did you guys do to get detention?” Kristen asked hopefully, subtly crossing her fingers for something cool. </p><p> </p><p>“I fell on him.” The half-orc said, pointing to the goblin, who fidgeted uncomfortably.</p><p> </p><p>“I punched him.” The goblin added, sounding rather regretful.</p><p> </p><p>“Woah, cool.”</p><p> </p><p>“I snuck into the teacher’s lounge.” The tiefling said, before grinning. “That’s what I got <em> caught </em>for, at least.” </p><p> </p><p>“I stole a stupid book,” Fabian muttered.</p><p> </p><p>“Why?” The tiefling asked. Fabian muttered a very vague and almost inaudible answer.</p><p> </p><p>“I threw a football at someone's face and broke his nose,” Adaine said quietly.</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds kinda harsh to give you detention for an accident,” Kristen said.</p><p> </p><p>“It was on purpose.” </p><p><br/>“Oh, wow. Lotta violence here.” Kristen let it all sink in, her mouth curling up into a grin. This was the group of kids she’d decided were going to be her adventuring party. She could barely stifle her giggles, whispering under her breath. “I’m gonna be <em> just </em>like Helio.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>is kristen doing basically the exact same thing she did in canon??? maybe but that was actual gold okay i can't make it any better than it already is and her arc isn't going to end a little bit different, but right now i'd say she's probably the most similar to her canon counterpart sdfsgfsdfgsdfg</p><p>also poor ragh, he's had a bit of a rough day <br/>and thats why you don't use mage hand on random students</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Maybe The Real Enemy Was The Tables We Tripped Over Along The Way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gorgug's already less-than-stellar day gets worse. Riz tries to make the best of a bad situation.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Gorgug shuffled into detention with the other unlucky freshmen, though the others all seemed to vary on exactly how upset they were to be there, ranging from obviously irritated to shockingly cheerful about it. </p><p> </p><p>“Mr. Gibbons will be your supervisor.” The vice-principal said, gesturing to the obnoxiously rosy-cheeked gnome sitting at the front of the classroom. “Perhaps by the end, you’ll all decide that whatever you did to get here wasn’t worth it.” </p><p> </p><p>She glanced at Kristen for a long moment, who just beamed back, before shaking her head and heading back towards the auditorium where the rest of the freshmen were.</p><p> </p><p>The six of them all stood near the doorway for a moment, before Mr. Gibbons spoke up. “Please, everyone take a seat.”</p><p> </p><p>They all quietly selected a seat, glancing at one another. Gorgug picked one way up the back, which didn’t have quite the effect he hoped when the tiefling and the goblin that had punched him <em> also </em>selected seats at the back, the tiefling theatrically kicking her feet up onto the desk and leaning backwards in her chair just to complete the look. </p><p> </p><p>“Before we begin, why don’t we all introduce each other, since we’ll be spending the next hour together.” Mr. Gibbon’s voice was slow and monotonous, and Gorgug inwardly cringed, trying to sink as low into his chair as possible.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go first!” Kristen jumped to her feet from her selected seat in the middle row, turning to face them all. “I’m Kristen Applebees, I’m a bard, I follow Helio, and I’m just- really excited to be here.” </p><p> </p><p>“You’re… excited to be in detention?” The goblin asked, frowning. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you know, I’m just glad to have this opportunity to think about my sins and, uh- reflect on them.” Kristen stumbled a little bit, her smile turning a bit awkward, but Mr. Gibbons just nodded solemnly.</p><p> </p><p>“Next?” </p><p> </p><p>The half-elf got to his feet next, his little fluffy dog circling around his feet like a guard. “I am Fabian Aramais Seacaster, son of Bill Seacaster-” He faltered for a moment. “Who you all obviously know is the principal. And this is Hangman, my extremely awesome familiar.”</p><p> </p><p>Hangman barked appreciatively, and Kristen openly cooed.</p><p><br/>“He’s very fierce. I’m a wizard. Obviously.” Fabian said weakly, looking to the next closest person to move things along.</p><p> </p><p>The tiefling took the opportunity, flicking her braid over her shoulder from where she was sitting on top of her desk — wait, when had she changed position? — and closing her eyes, a sly grin on her face. “I’m Fig. No last name you need to know about.”</p><p> </p><p>Mr. Gibbons squinted down at a piece of paper in front of him. “Ah, Figueroth Faeth? Is that you?”</p><p> </p><p>Fig’s face fell into a scowl, glaring at Mr. Gibbons. “Way to ruin the mystique.” She grumbled, tapping her fingers on the desk. “I’m a <em> rogue</em>, I guess.” </p><p> </p><p>“I’m Riz Gukgak.” The goblin said, looking irritated. “I’m a barbarian, and I’m way stronger than I look so… yeah.” </p><p> </p><p>There were just two of them left to introduce themselves, Gorgug and the elf, who had sat on the opposite side of the room, as far away from most of them as she could get. After a moment, the elf’s face tightened before she raised her hand. “I’m Adaine.” She hesitated. “Adaine Abernant. I’m a fighter.” </p><p> </p><p>Now everyone was looking at him. He waved loosely. “I’m Gorgug Thistlespring, I’m a cleric.” </p><p> </p><p>Kristen noticeably perked up, though she’d sat down again. “Ooh, which god?”</p><p> </p><p>“Um, Vulcan.” Gorgug dug in his pockets for a small metal bowtie he’d made. “God of… uh, metalwork. And other things.” </p><p> </p><p>“Wow. That’s just lovely.” Mr. Gibbons nodded, and Gorgug couldn’t stop looking at his cheeks, which were far rosier than they really had any right to be. “Now, let’s start talking about why we’re here.”</p><p> </p><p>Adaine raised a hand, not waiting to be called on before she spoke. “Okay, technically I have diplomatic immunity, so can I leave?”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not how diplomatic immunity <em> works.</em>” Fabian said, one side of his face resting on one of his hands. “That’s for if you’ve committed an actual crime.” </p><p> </p><p>“I mean, assault is a crime, so if we go by that diplomatic immunity still wouldn’t apply here.” Fig pointed out.</p><p> </p><p>Ignoring Fig, Adaine scoffed, narrowing her eyes at Fabian. “Oh, I’m sure you know all about that kind of stuff, wizard, since your dad has committed <em> many </em>crimes.” </p><p> </p><p>“Pft, you’re being ridiculous,” Fabian said. </p><p> </p><p>“He’s a <em> pirate</em>. There’s literally history books about him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, he was not a pirate, he was a <em> privateer</em>, there’s a difference!” Fabian said. “And under Solesian law it doesn’t matter anyway! But if it <em> did</em>, he’s not a pirate!” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug rested his head on his desk, pulling his hood up so it covered his head and blocked out almost all the light. This was the <em>worst. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Wow. This is a lot of feelings.” Mr. Gibbons said. “Let’s talk about this.”</p><p> </p><p>Gorgug heard grumbling from both Fabian and Adaine in response, and when he glanced up, he saw both of them scowling in their chairs, arms folded, neither looking at the other.</p><p> </p><p>Gorgug briefly considered speaking up himself. His parents always liked to encourage him to talk about his feelings… but this really wasn’t the kind of place he was comfortable doing it, not in front of other kids he’d barely just met that were already angry with each other.</p><p> </p><p>An awkward silence ensued before suddenly there was a muffled scream.</p><p> </p><p>Gorgug froze, everyone else immediately falling silent, heads snapping in the direction of the sound.</p><p> </p><p>“Where did that come from?” Kristen asked, her eyes wide.</p><p> </p><p>“It sounded like the cafeteria,” Riz said, his ears pricked up. Half of them started getting to their feet, and Gorgug sat up straighter, urgency beginning to build. </p><p> </p><p>“The lunch lad?” Adaine was already up, one hand on her greatsword and making towards the door. </p><p> </p><p>“Shouldn’t we let a teacher handle whatever that is?” Gorgug asked, as everyone else bar Mr. Gibbons began to leave their desks as well.</p><p> </p><p>“No way, I’m checking it out!” Fig said with a cocky grin, running out the door with Adaine close on her heels, the others only hesitating a moment before following. </p><p> </p><p>Faced with the choice between finding out whatever had caused horrified screaming and staying in a classroom alone with Mr. Gibbons, Gorgug was out the door as well in a matter of moments, his fingers curling tight around his staff. </p><p> </p><p>Long legs made it easy to catch up, and Gorgug was well in the mix with the others, albeit hanging in the back of the group, as they bolted into the cafeteria, unsure of what they might find. </p><p> </p><p>They jerked to a stop about twenty feet in, mouths agape at what was before them.</p><p> </p><p>The lunch lad, a large red dragonborn named Goldenhoard or something that Gorgug had thought was kinda nice, if intimidating, at lunch, was standing on their side of the counters, swaying lightly, holding a long metal soup ladle in one hand with a tight grip. His eyes were golden and glassy, and Gorgug felt his stomach drop.</p><p> </p><p>But much more terrifyingly, a few feet to the right of Goldenhoard was a giant roiling chunky mass of corn sludge, bubbling and boiling in a shifting monster nearly twice his height. Scattered around the entire cafeteria, on the tables and on the ground, were smaller but no less horrifying corn creatures, some gremlin type things with <em> eyes </em> and <em> sharp teeth </em> and <em> oh my god they had legs why did they have legs what the heck was happening- </em></p><p> </p><p>“<em>Now </em>can we go get a teacher?” Gorgug asked helplessly.</p><p> </p><p>At that moment, as if he’d heard, Goldenhoard’s eyes glowed, and there was a momentous slam behind them as the doors were closed with a force so great it <em> should </em>have knocked them straight off their hinges.</p><p> </p><p>“None of you are going <em> anywhere!” </em>Goldenhoard shouted, pumping one hand up in the air and roaring. </p><p> </p><p>Spurred on by the battle cry, the corn gremlins began to charge. </p><p> </p><p>There were at least three distinct shrieks from the gathered teenagers. Gorgug was not ashamed to admit he was one of them. </p><p> </p><p>“Get them!” Fabian was the first to break the stunned stupor they’d been caught in, running to jump to the closest table, perhaps to get a better vantage point, only to promptly trip and eat shit, which was not exactly confidence-inspiring.</p><p> </p><p>Hangman, seemingly just happy to be here, bounded after his master, yapping and growling at the closest corn gremlin that was coming their way. </p><p> </p><p>“Very impressive there, Spellcaster.” Adaine deadpanned, drawing her greatsword and beginning to charge forwards as well with a determined expression on her face.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not my name!” Fabian shouted, fumbling in his backpack for a giant orb, still half-prone on the ground. </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, I think it fits-<em> ArgH fuck!” </em>Adaine tried to jump up onto a table herself, managing to avoid falling flat on her face like Fabian but still stumbling, absolutely whiffing a shot on a corn gremlin that jumped towards her.</p><p> </p><p>“Ha!” </p><p> </p><p>“Can we focus on the actual problem here?!” Riz shouted, hefting his axe and climbing up onto the same table Fabian had jumped onto — handily avoiding the tripping issue by climbing up onto the seat of the table first — and sinking his weapon into the head of a corn gremlin that had been rearing up to leap onto Fabian’s back. </p><p> </p><p>“Time for this cafeteria to be closed!” Fig said, pulling a <em> gun </em>out of her satchel.</p><p> </p><p>A <em> gun</em>. </p><p> </p><p>“Where did you get a gun?” Gorgug shouted, having barely taken a step. Fig glanced his way, spinning the gun on her fingers and winking.</p><p> </p><p>“Stole it from a cop!” She said brightly, before cocking it and aiming at a gremlin running down the center aisle of the cafeteria. “I’m coming for you, Lunch Lad!” </p><p> </p><p>“That was an excellent line, though!” Kristen said, wielding her guitar like a club to bash in a different corn monster. </p><p> </p><p>“Thank you!” Fig straightened up after her shot, looking sincerely grateful. “A proper detective always has really good one-liners, I’ve been trying to practise.” </p><p> </p><p>“You know, these little guys are actually kinda cute!” Kristen said, stomping heavily on the one she’d been hitting.</p><p> </p><p>“Is <em> now </em> seriously the <em> time?!” </em>Fabian shouted, and they all jumped back into the fray. </p><p> </p><p>Oh jeez, oh jeez- what was he supposed to do? Gorgug heard a horrifying gnashing sound to his left, lashing out wildly with his staff just in time to swing it directly into another corn gremlin, sending it crashing into a nearby table. “Oh, I <em> hate </em>this-”</p><p> </p><p>Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in- oh this wasn’t making him feel better he needed to <em> do </em>something! </p><p> </p><p>All of the others had leaped into battle to mixed success, which ended up leaving Gorgug playing defense, sort of keeping an eye on all of them. Fabian eventually managed to climb to his feet, shooting bolts of fire at anything nearby from his new vantage point, while Riz had jumped down to charge at the gremlins coming up the middle, hollering all the while. </p><p> </p><p>Adaine had leaped to one of the tables closest to the monsters, using the height to bat away at gremlins trying to climb up her legs, swinging heavily with her sword and slicing them apart in only a few strikes. Fig was running up the center, now trying to aim her gun at Goldenhoard, while Kristen had slung her guitar over her shoulder like it was meant to be held, strumming a few confident notes while one of the gremlins bolted towards her.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay- okay, you don’t wanna do that-” Her notes reverberated, like almost visible sound waves echoing out from her guitar, only for them to be abruptly cut short by the corn gremlin fully leaping onto her face, sending her stumbling to the floor with a shriek. </p><p> </p><p>“Kristen!” Gorgug ran forward, inwardly regretting every life choice that led to this moment before he reared up with his staff like a baseball player and punted the gremlin ten feet away, hurt and slightly dazed but still standing. Kristen coughed and sputtered on the ground, and the gremlin righted itself, preparing to run towards them both again. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh no no no no-” Gorgug felt warmth begin to gather in his hands and instinctively raised one up, a radiant green fire searing out of it and striking the corn gremlin as it tried for another run, stopping it in its tracks.</p><p> </p><p>Gorgug had never used that spell on a living creature before.</p><p> </p><p>They both stared as the gremlin fell to the ground. After a moment, Kristen, her face scratched and with globs of corn sliding down her cheeks, whispered, “It smells like popcorn.”</p><p> </p><p>“This is not what the first day of school is supposed to be like.” Gorgug whimpered. “Not at <em> all</em>.” </p><p> </p><p>While helping Kristen back to her feet, an awful squelching sound caught his ears and he looked up to see the massive oozing corn sludge — which most of them had been ignoring until now on account of it being relatively far away and all of them being distracted by the far closer and more immediately dangerous gremlins — pulsing, before three more gremlins popped out of it, shaking off globs of goop and hissing at them.</p><p> </p><p>“The big ooze is making more of them!” He shouted, getting several groans and curses in response. </p><p> </p><p>“It must be Goldenhoard!” Fig called out, almost to the end of the rows of cafeteria tables, waving her gun around wildly as she made frantic hand gestures towards the dragonborn with no real consideration for anything close to safety. “Get your hands up, punk!” </p><p> </p><p>“Ohoho, I don’t think so!” Goldenhoard sneered, dipping his ladle into a tray of something steaming behind him, tossing it directly at Fig, who barely managed to duck in time for it to go sailing over her head, splatting harmlessly on the ground. </p><p> </p><p>“He didn’t seem like this at lunch!” Kristen said, having climbed (okay, she tripped) on top of a table, kicking at a gremlin trying to follow her and shooting a confused look Gorgug’s way. “I thought he was just really depressed actually.” </p><p> </p><p>“This…” Gorgug looked towards Goldenhoard, who was now laughing maniacally and reloading his ladle while Fig screamed about justice (for who? He had no idea) at him. “... this doesn’t seem very depressed. Mostly seems evil.” </p><p> </p><p>At that moment Fig stopped firing, her eyes narrowing before widening again, snapping her fingers. “Oh! He’s possessed!” She paused for a moment, completely ignoring Adaine skewering a corn gremlin that had been about to bite her arm off, before becoming energised again. “I’ll save you Goldenhoard! By shooting you until the possession goes away!” </p><p> </p><p>“Fig, I think that just <em> kills </em>people!” Adaine called out, hissing in pain as one of the gremlins managed to latch onto her leg. </p><p> </p><p>“He’s trying to kill us, I say go for it!” Riz piped up from somewhere beneath a table, wiping corn guts off of himself. “We gotta get that ooze!” </p><p> </p><p>“Well I’m shooting <em> fire </em>at it and hardly anything is happening, it’s really annoying!” Fabian called out, having clambered up to a closer table, this time without face planting. "It's really good fire, so it should work!"</p><p> </p><p>“Hit it with more!” Riz called back, racing out from beneath the table to charge at the giant ooze, which was slowly slurping its way towards the side of the cafeteria, near a set of double-doors marked ‘Storeroom’. </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug grimaced, but he couldn’t just stand there. Gritting his teeth, he reached out to tap Kristen on the shoulder and give her some resistance, before running towards the real fray. Fabian keeping at a distance on the left side of the cafeteria seemed to have his deal relatively under control, Hangman running around his feet like a guard dog and growling a warning if a corn gremlin got close, and Kristen was shouting out encouragement to them all, playing some kind of church hymn on her guitar that didn’t suit the mood of this entire arrangement at <em> all, </em>peach-coloured streaks fading from her fingertips as she strummed.</p><p> </p><p>Riz was charging into battle with reckless abandon, but on the furthermost right table, Adaine was almost surrounded on gremlins on either side, grunting with exertion as she swung her greatsword, before two of them jumped on her at the same time, knocking her off the table completely. </p><p> </p><p>At the same moment, Goldenhoard scored a direct hit on Fig with boiling hot corn surprise, and she dropped, her gun clattering to the ground. </p><p> </p><p>Oh shit, they needed a cleric!</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh shit, HE was the cleric! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Panicking, Gorgug ran forward, shooting off sacred flames and ignoring corn gremlins that swiped at him as he ran. Fig was closer, but Adaine was currently being attacked by four gremlins at once so he ran towards her first, trying to aim his sacred flames to hit the gremlins and not Adaine.</p><p> </p><p>One of them exploded into awful popcorn-smelling goo and the rest promptly lost interest in the mostly limp Adaine on the ground, turning and charging at the new threat. He beat them back with the staff, hitting each one with a metal clunk, stomping them for good measure until they were back to being gross but mostly edible sludge, then he ran up to Adaine. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh jeez-” Please, Vulcan, let this work. He laid his hand on Adaine’s arm and it began to glow with a deep forest green light, sinking into Adaine’s skin.</p><p> </p><p>She immediately startled, instinctively jerking her arm away and gasping as scratches and gashes healed on her arms and stomach, her eyes wild.</p><p> </p><p>“It worked.” Gorgug breathed a sigh of relief, and Adaine stumbled to her knees, looking for her greatsword, which had been knocked out of her hands.</p><p> </p><p>“There was a chance it wouldn’t?” She asked, seeming almost as frantic as he felt.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never done it for something this bad before,” Gorgug admitted before remembering something. “Wait, Fig’s still dying.”</p><p> </p><p>He spun around, leaving Adaine to recollect herself and darting the fifteen feet or so to where Fig was sprawled on the ground, a nasty-looking burn on her face and neck. </p><p> </p><p>“I won’t have any more healing after this so no one is allowed to get hurt anymore!” Gorgug screamed.</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Riz looked horrified, trying to pull his axe out of the corn ooze, where it was currently stuck. “You won’t have anything else?!”</p><p> </p><p>“What about Spare the Dying?” Fabian asked, his hands on his hips.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t learn that!” Gorgug said.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re a cleric and you didn’t learn Spare the Dying?!” </p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t think people would <em> need </em> sparing from <em> death </em> on the first day!” Gorgug straightened up from where he’d been preparing to heal Fig, frowning. “Tomorrow I’ll ask my teacher how to learn it! If we’re not all <em> DEAD! </em>” </p><p> </p><p>“So what do you have instead?” Kristen asked, ducking under another glob of corn sludge thrown at her by a cackling Goldenhoard.</p><p> </p><p>“Mending?” </p><p> </p><p>“Cool! Me too!” Kristen shot him a thumbs up. “Mending buddies!” </p><p> </p><p>“Fig is <em> still </em>dying!” Adaine shouted, running past Gorgug and charging at Goldenhoard, her greatsword raised over her head. </p><p> </p><p>Snapping back to reality, Gorgug cursed to himself, crouching over Fig again and putting his hand over the burn. It glowed again, and he could see the burn fade until there was almost nothing but a very faint patch that would probably disappear completely after a day or two. Like Adaine, Fig gasped awake, though her arms scrambled up, clutching at Gorgug’s arm and hoodie to pull herself up.</p><p> </p><p>“Omigosh, DAD?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, no, I’m Gorgug,” Gorgug said awkwardly. Fig blinked at him, one hand going to her ear before shaking her head.</p><p> </p><p>“Right- right-” She reached for her gun where it had fallen, muttering to herself. “Oh my god. This is my best clue yet.” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug decided to ignore all of that immediately, getting back to his feet and trying to figure out where he could help best. Without any more spell slots for healing, he supposed his job as a cleric was now to stop anyone else from dropping so they wouldn’t <em> need </em>any big healing.</p><p> </p><p>Fabian was still sniping from the tables, zapping bolts of fire at all the corn gremlins that were still in the mix, though despite the corn ooze continuing to create more, there were still far fewer than there had been. </p><p> </p><p>Kristen was simultaneously cheering on Adaine and insulting Goldenhoard, the two of them locked in a very extreme looking close-quarters combat, greatsword on ladle, while Riz was still slicing through the corn ooze, which was busy smashing through the storeroom doors, sending horrific thuds echoing through the entire cafeteria with every strike. </p><p> </p><p>Fig finally got to her feet and shot at the corn ooze. A direct hit wasn’t hard since it was just a giant blob, but it hardly seemed to react, and Fig frowned, looking at her gun for a moment before just starting to fire again as quickly as possible. </p><p> </p><p>“There’s something in there! Something other than corn!” Riz shouted out, apparently considering that a decent and reasonable warning before slicing upwards into the ooze once with his axe and then <em> leaping in. </em></p><p> </p><p>Fabian and Gorgug both screamed in horror, and Gorgug ran forwards with his staff as the ooze fully coalesced around Riz, swallowing him whole. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god, that’s so hardcore,” Fig said, her voice almost lost in the din. At the same time, Kristen let out a reverent ‘woah’.</p><p> </p><p>“Get him out, get him out!” Fabian shrieked, jumping off the tables to get closer. “Adaine! Someone!”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m a bit <em> busy!” </em>Gorgug looked quickly to his left to see Adaine and Goldenhoard now both on the ground, Adaine’s greatsword scattered to a couple feet away from Fig, but with Goldenhoard’s ladle in her hands, frantically bashing it into the dragonborn’s head. Given it was a dragonborn, this was not as effective as it might have usually been, but it was at least preventing him from easily gaining the upper hand.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going! I’m going!” Gorgug shouted, running up to the corn ooze and managing to easily dodge the few corn gremlins that still remained, who were rushing towards a different target. </p><p> </p><p>He didn’t realise how bad that could be until he heard Fabian shriek and Hangman bark hysterically, the corn gremlins apparently having gotten tired of him sniping them from a safe distance and deciding to instead fly over and pick him up (how long have they been able to <em> fly? </em> Why can they <em> fly </em> now? This is the <em> worst!) </em>up into the air, beginning to head back towards the corn ooze. </p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, Fabian, I got you!” Fig shouted, squinting as she aimed with her gun at the constantly moving mass of gremlins and wizard. Kristen tried to reach her guitar up into the air to give Fabian something to grab onto but to no avail.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god, don’t shoot me! Don’t shoot me!” Fabian shouted, squirming frantically.</p><p> </p><p>Between Fig and Kristen… they could probably figure something out, Gorgug decided, continuing his race to the corn ooze. Once in front of it, he couldn’t see any sign of Riz, the sludge pulsating and moving constantly, making it impossible to notice anything out of the ordinary. </p><p> </p><p>There was a sharp <em> crack</em>, followed by the sound of two doors being crunched off their hinges, and the scraping of metal against the ground as entire vats of corn were lifted up into the air, preparing to drop into an opening maw in the corn ooze.</p><p> </p><p>This was so bad. All of this was so bad. They were going to <em> die. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Riz!” Gorgug shouted helplessly, slashing through the ooze with his staff, trying to slice through it enough to find Riz. </p><p> </p><p>Fabian was still struggling overhead, flown well out of reach of any of them, and Fig’s shots going wide, so there was nothing stopping the gremlins from hovering over the gaping mouth of the corn ooze and dropping Fabian in, which prompted a <em> lot </em>more screaming. </p><p> </p><p>After a couple moments both Fig and Kristen had joined Gorgug at the corn ooze, Fig hefting Adaine’s dropped greatsword with not quite grace and dexterity, but at least a lot of passion, while Kristen tried to stop all three of them from getting utterly swarmed by the remaining corn gremlins. </p><p> </p><p>Fig sliced upwards in one massive swing, stumbling backward from the momentum, but in that split moment, somewhere in the sludge, Gorgug saw a flash of dark fabric, and he immediately jabbed his hand directly in, reaching as far he could go. </p><p> </p><p>The ooze enclosed around him, hot, thick and sticky, and Gorgug grit his teeth together, searching until his hand enclosed around a wrist.</p><p> </p><p>“I got one!” He shouted, beginning to pull back, Kristen immediately grabbing a hold of his waist to try and help. </p><p> </p><p>There were biting pains in his ankles as corn gremlins bit onto his legs, and he could hear Kristen hissing in pain as well, Fig barely managing to dodge out of the way of most of them, but he kept going.</p><p> </p><p>After a few moments, Riz’s arm, then his shoulders and then his head squeezed out of the ooze, and with one final burst of effort, he fully dislodged, all three of them staggering backward, their legs buckling beneath them and Riz went sprawling, skidding and sliding across the smooth cafeteria floor, hacking up corn sludge with something grasped in his hand. </p><p> </p><p>Staggering to keep his footing, Gorgug barely had a moment to catch his breath before a sudden weight pounced on him, teeth and claws scratching desperately at his face and throat.</p><p> </p><p>With a yelp he fell to the side, his staff dropping with a reverberating clang, and then his skull hit the floor with a sharp, painful crack.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Riz was choking on corn surprise and to be honest, it still wasn’t the worst school lunch he’d ever had. </p><p> </p><p>On his knees, utterly drenched, more of an ugly brownish-yellow colour than green, it took a moment for reality to really start seeping back in his brain. Since the battle began it had all been a blur, every emotion merging into one consistent drive, a fury, all directed towards the singular goal of staying alive. The other’s voices would pierce through every now and then, but as the battle wore on even they faded out of notice.</p><p> </p><p>Fig had said Goldenhoard was possessed, so he couldn’t have been the source of everything. Which had left only the corn ooze, so he’d jumped in. The inside of <em> that </em>monstrosity was even fuzzier than the rest of the battle.</p><p> </p><p>“Kristen!” Fig’s voice jolted him out of his stupor, and he looked up, wiping sludge out of his face and staggering to his feet.</p><p> </p><p>At the rest of the battle, things weren’t looking good. Gorgug <em> and </em>Kristen were motionless on the ground, the corn gremlins now turning on Fig, who was backing away with very little bravado remaining on her face. Fabian was absolutely nowhere to be seen, Hangman was pouncing on the corn ooze like he could eat his way through and Adaine-</p><p> </p><p>Okay, Adaine was actually beating Goldenhoard up pretty well, but based on the very panicked screaming that was coming from that direction, she wasn’t handling it super great. </p><p> </p><p>Still, that was only three in their party on their feet at all, and some of them only barely. If the tides didn’t turn soon, they were all going to die.</p><p> </p><p>Riz looked down to his hands, to the tiny object that he’d managed to find inside the corn ooze. It was a piece of paper, almost illegible for how dirty it was at the moment, but a piece of paper.</p><p> </p><p>He went to rip it up but something stopped him, an insistent voice in his head telling him it was a bad idea. What if he was wrong? Maybe this was important. </p><p> </p><p>For a moment, he stared, and the sensation passed. Oh, this was evil. This shit was evil. It didn't just need to be ripped up, it needed to be <em>destroyed. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Fig!” He shouted. Fig’s head snapped in his direction, almost pressed up against the wall by the remaining gremlins. </p><p> </p><p>Riz wadded up the paper in his hand, holding it up in the air and pointing at it with his other hand. “Shoot this!”</p><p> </p><p>He tossed it into the air. </p><p> </p><p>A moment later, a shot fired. </p><p> </p><p>Riz covered his ears, instinctively closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them up again, there was a split second of stillness. Fragments of paper floated down, before burning up into ash and scattering to the ground.</p><p> </p><p>The massive mound of corn sludge wobbled, then fell apart completely, like an egg had been cracked and all its contents came spilling out. One noticeably half-elven shape slumped to the ground, unmoving. All the remaining corn gremlins shivered and withered into nothing but black husks, cracking into pieces. </p><p> </p><p>All Riz could hear were multiple sets of panicked, exhausted breathing. </p><p> </p><p>Then Fig burst into action, running towards Fabian, the closest body to her. “Oh my god, is he dead?” </p><p> </p><p>The mention of death snapped Riz into gear, and he ran towards Gorgug.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s breathing!” Fig shouted, wiping corn sludge out of Fabian’s face and rolling him onto his side, trying to see if his airways were blocked. “Wake up!”</p><p> </p><p>Riz arrived at Gorgug’s side, and he had no idea what to do. Breathing, check for breathing. Riz put a hand over Gorgug’s chest, trying to feel for a rise and fall. </p><p> </p><p>Nothing.</p><p> </p><p>Oh fuck. His shoulders shaking, he pressed his fingers to Gorgug’s neck, then his wrist, then his neck again. </p><p> </p><p>“Guys, Gorgug doesn’t have a pulse!” </p><p> </p><p>“What?” Fig looked at him, horrified, before her eyes flickered away. “What about Kristen?” </p><p> </p><p>Riz looked over to Kristen, and saw a trembling Adaine crouched over her. Riz hadn’t seen a lot of Adaine’s fight with Goldenhoard but it did <em> not </em>seem to have been a good time, bruises already beginning to show on Adaine’s face and arm, spots of blood staining her clothes, skin, and hair. </p><p> </p><p>“She’s not breathing. She’s not breathing, I can’t find a pulse-” Adaine’s voice quickened, her hands visibly shaking as she drew back from Kristen’s body, hardly sounding like she was getting a breath in herself. </p><p> </p><p>“The doors!” Riz shouted, looking behind him. “We need help!” </p><p> </p><p>“Are they still locked?” Fig asked, but Riz was already to his feet, racing towards the other end of the cafeteria and throwing the now-unlocked doors open. </p><p><br/>“Try and help Fabian!” He shouted over his shoulder, before tearing down the corridors and screaming for someone, <em> anyone </em>to come help them.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>a bit early cause my morning tomorrow is gonna be hectic and i dont want this lost in the shuffle</p><p>but yeehaw</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Field and The Foundry</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gorgug meets a role model. Kristen doesn't. Fig isn't satisfied.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kristen opened her eyes in a cornfield. Shadows dappled over her body, the spots of light that made it to her skin warm, grasses, and dropped corn husks itching at her hands, neck, and face.</p><p> </p><p>For a moment, everything was entirely peaceful. Then the last moments that Kristen remembered came rushing back. </p><p> </p><p>“Woah-” She sat up, then stood, but she wasn’t tall enough to see over the tops of the corn that surrounded her, and there was nothing but blue skies and soft clouds above to guide her. </p><p> </p><p>She was <em> dead. </em>She’d died and now… was this heaven?</p><p> </p><p>There <em> was </em>corn, so heaven made sense. But there had to be something more than just this. </p><p> </p><p>She began humming a song under her breath as she walked through the cornfield, a peaceful serenity curled around her like a blanket despite the intensity of the battle she’d just been in, despite the fact that she’d just <em> died</em>. Distantly, she wondered what had happened to the others. Hopefully, they were alright, if they weren’t, who knew where they’d end up. </p><p> </p><p>It was hard to tell exactly how long she’d been walking, but eventually, she stepped through, finding herself at the edge of a large oval-shaped clearing, corn surrounding all sides in seemingly endless rolling hills that stretched to the horizon. The clearing was filled with wild grasses and flowers, and in the middle, slightly off-center, was an old oak tree, it’s branches curving and curling around, bending down and then up again as if purposely creating branches perfect for sitting or lying on. </p><p> </p><p>Sitting on one of those branches in the shade, one leg swinging loosely back and forth, was a man dressed in a white robe with golden trim, long curly hair flowing just past his shoulder, flip flops on his feet. Fingers lightly strummed a lute, and as Kristen got closer, she could see a tiny smile on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, hello?” Kristen asked. The lute stilled, the man’s face tilting towards her, smile widening. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you made it.”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“You were expecting me?” Kristen was curious. This guy didn’t seem to be Helio. So who was he? “What is this place?”</p><p> </p><p>“This, my friend, is the gateway to Helio’s plane. To heaven.” The man said, raising his arms. “Every follower of Helio that dies wakes up in that field, and when they find me, then I send them on up.” He gestured vaguely in an upward direction.</p><p> </p><p>“Who are you, then?” Kristen asked. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m Cyrus. Technically, I’m an angel, but I really consider myself more a shepherd.” His voice was relaxed and smooth like honey, and it was almost too easy to find herself agreeing with him. </p><p> </p><p>“Woah. And you shepherd people to heaven?”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s the job.” Cyrus drawled. “Course, Helio’s chosen tend to get a fast pass, but everyone else, I’m here.” </p><p> </p><p>Kristen paused. Well, she supposed that made sense. If <em> she </em> were a chosen of Helio she’d probably be pretty miffed if she didn’t get a <em> little </em>VIP treatment once she died. “When I get up there, do I get to see Helio? Cause I have a lot of questions I’ve been dying to ask him.”</p><p> </p><p>A moment passed, and then Kristen realised what she said, snickering to herself. But Cyrus had hesitated. </p><p> </p><p>“Uh, well, Helio’s a busy dude, you know. It’s not all fun and games for a god.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but he’s around sometimes, right? To talk about his teachings and philosophies and why terrible things happen even to good people? Stuff like that?”</p><p> </p><p>Cyrus stared at her. “Uh…” </p><p> </p><p>“Well- then, what <em> is </em>up there?” </p><p> </p><p>He recovered himself a little, regaining some of the smile. “Oh, it’s great. Endless fields of corn, peace, and happiness for eternity.”</p><p> </p><p>Well, that matched up with everything she’d always been told. It had always sounded awesome during church services, but now, on the precipice of it, Kristen found herself wondering.</p><p> </p><p>This was what was supposed to happen, right? She’d served Helio, she’d tried to spread his word, she’d lived the great plan that had been laid out for her life before she’d even been born.</p><p> </p><p>Dying from corn monsters at the tender age of fourteen. </p><p> </p><p>Then wandering peaceful cornfields for eternity.</p><p> </p><p>A perfect, divine plan.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>An extremely awkward moment passed, Cyrus’ eyes flickering away nervously before a light breeze blew through. His eyes widened before his face flattened into a thinly-veiled look of relief. “H-hey, good news! Turns out you’re not done yet!” </p><p> </p><p>“Huh? But-”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s right! Turns out you’re still needed down on Spyre.” Cyrus shrugged as to say there was nothing he could do. “They’re calling you back, it’s a big honour. Nice to meet you!”</p><p> </p><p>He jumped down from the branch, drawing some runes in the air, pale golden light hovering like pen strokes, before strumming his lute. Almost immediately, Kristen felt a wave of energy pulse through her, and she could feel herself becoming lighters, her fingers beginning to turn invisible. “No, wait, there are so many things I wanted to ask! So many questions I’ve had for years!” </p><p> </p><p>“See ya, kid!” Cyrus strummed again, more aggressively than a lute really called for, and Kristen was blown back, her entire body dissipating into mist at increasing speed, sending her away. Sending her back.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait!” </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Gorgug opened his eyes in the doorway of a foundry. There were no windows, the entire room lit up only by dim oil lanterns and the orange glow of melted metal and fire. Iron beams lined the walls and ceiling, and filling the room was workbench after workbench, metal casings piling up in stacks.</p><p> </p><p>In a low wooden chair, surrounded by statues, swords, shields, bracelets, and necklaces, was a man. He was leaning back in the chair, admiring a golden chain with charms that glinted in the light. Dressed in thin clothes bar a heavy leather apron and thick gloves, he was short but broad and imposing, his skin almost red like a tiefling's, his face wrinkled and marred by burns and scars.</p><p> </p><p>Standing in the doorway, Gorgug had never felt so small, even though he was undoubtedly taller. He felt unwelcome here, even if he was able to recognise this man as Vulcan. Of anywhere in the universe to feel welcome, it should have been in the presence of his own god. </p><p> </p><p>“Gorgug.” His voice was gruff but not unkind, but Gorgug swallowed hard, taking a small step forward into the foundry. </p><p> </p><p>“Hi, uh, Mr. Vulcan. Sir.” He mumbled. </p><p> </p><p>“You did well.” Vulcan stood up, which seemed to take a gargantuan effort, leaning heavily on the table to get his footing, and even when standing up, noticeably favouring one leg. Gorgug forced himself not to look, instead trying to focus on what Vulcan was saying. </p><p> </p><p>“I… died, though. That is what happened, right?” He couldn’t imagine another reason why he was here. </p><p> </p><p>“Death is not necessarily a failure,” Vulcan said. “You used your magic to save two others from death, did you not? That is a success.” </p><p> </p><p>“I guess.” Gorgug had no idea what he was supposed to do or say here. “What happens now?” </p><p> </p><p>“Now, a few things can happen. You might be sent back, or you stay in the foundry.” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug glanced around the room. It wasn’t <em> tiny</em>, but staying in here for the rest of eternity? “In… here?”</p><p> </p><p>Vulcan looked at him for a moment, before breaking into a chuckle, the most emotion he’d seen so far. “My chosen, the foundry is far larger than this room. You will have a place of your own, a sanctum to create whatever you desire.” </p><p> </p><p>“Ah.” Gorgug thought of all the trinkets in his room, the projects he’d toiled over throughout his childhood. Doing that forever? With no limit on materials or time? “Just by myself?” </p><p> </p><p>“Well, I don’t select social butterflies as my chosen,” Vulcan said. “Our craft is strong and proud. It usually does not benefit from too many hands dipping their fingers into it.” </p><p> </p><p>“Who do you pick as your chosen, then?” Gorgug asked quietly, unable to ask what he really wanted to know. Why <em> him? </em></p><p> </p><p>Vulcan said nothing for a long moment, his face nearly completely inscrutable. Then he exhaled, placing the golden chain in his hands down, folding his hands behind his back. </p><p> </p><p>“To bend metal to your will, you must be firm. You must be strong, you must know what you want, you must have the determination to create it even if you must design the casing from nothing.” His eyes seemed to glow like a forge had been lit inside them, and he looked directly into Gorgug’s eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“I am not the god the tinkerers, Gorgug Thistlespring. But tinkering and metalwork, there is overlap. I have seen your parents as they developed their skills, I saw them pass it onto you. I saw you take yourself and your anger and forge it into something more suitable. Rather than wallow in your feelings, in your lost ancestry, you create, you build, you carve. You may break your bed once a week but you continue to repair it. It may be solitary, it may be lonely, but the results cannot be denied. That is what I look for in my chosen. That is what I see potential of in you.” </p><p> </p><p>He nodded once, before closing his eyes, humming a low note to himself before opening them. “It has been decreed, Gorgug. You will not be joining the foundry today. The mortal plane still has need of your work.” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug swallowed. “I’m going back?”</p><p> </p><p>“You are going back, my child. Be blessed.” He turned around, walking back towards his seat surrounded by a suddenly overwhelming number of projects, each one intricate, each one perhaps the result of hundreds of lonely, difficult work. </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug found himself stepping backward, the image of the foundry fading, weight beginning to return to his body. But Vulcan’s words were still echoing in his head, detailing all the things he thought he’d seen in him, the traits that had apparently made him worthy. </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug didn’t believe him.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Fig was sitting cross-legged on the ground, picking pieces of corn out of her hair and watching a random junior raise Gorgug from the dead. Kristen was already sitting up, one hand over her chest while the junior — another half-orc with a bandage on his nose that had been following Daybreak when Riz had brought him and Bill Seacaster into the cafeteria — was focusing intently over Gorgug’s body. </p><p> </p><p>“You okay?” Fig asked, and Kristen glanced up at her, shuffling closer. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. I- uh- I think I went to heaven.” Kristen said, chuckling nervously. “Or like, the front door of it.”</p><p> </p><p>Fig whistled lowly, still keeping half an eye on Gorgug. “What was it like?”</p><p> </p><p>Kristen hesitated for a moment, an uncertain expression crossing her face. “Underwhelming.”</p><p> </p><p>“I think I heard a vision of my dad when I was dead. Or unconscious.” Fig said, leaning a little closer like it was a secret.</p><p> </p><p>“What was that like?” Kristen ran a hand through her hair, tucking in loose strands that had fallen out during the battle. </p><p> </p><p>“Kinda freaky. He was like,” Fig cleared her throat, putting on an overly deep voice. “‘<em>Fig, it’s meeee’ </em>and then I was like ‘Woah, Dad, is that you?’ and then there was the sound of him like, driving away on a weird-ass motorcycle or something and then I woke up.” </p><p> </p><p>“Sick.” Kristen murmured. </p><p> </p><p>There was a sudden gasp, and Gorgug’s eyes flew open, flinching on the ground and sucking in a sharp breath. “Oh wow-”</p><p> </p><p>“Gorgug!” Fig said, exhaling a sigh of relief. “How ya feeling?” </p><p> </p><p>For a couple of moments Gorgug just lay there on the ground. “I think I went to heaven.”</p><p> </p><p>“Preach, dude.” Kristen leaned back, waving a hand loosely. “Not what you expect, amiright?”</p><p> </p><p>Gorgug just closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands, groaning through them in response. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, I’m done here.” The other half-orc straightened up. “You know, dying on your first day of school, that’s pretty tight.” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug just groaned some more, while Kristen clicked her teeth, shooting some finger guns. “Hey, no hard feelings on you tossing my songbook into corn earlier today.”</p><p> </p><p>The half-orc nodded. “Totally. But if I see that goblin or elf friend of yours in the hallways I am absolutely gonna destroy them. It’s on sight, yo. Bye!” He waved cheerfully, before heading off. </p><p> </p><p>Fig and Kristen both looked towards Adaine, who was leaning over one of the tables with her face buried in her arms to avoid looking at Goldenhoard, who had narrowly avoided death by ladle thanks to his thick skull. With the possession ended at the same time the corn ooze and gremlins perished, Goldenhoard himself had been woken up by a small amount of healing by Daybreak, and was now three minutes in on an apparently very long speech about how he was resigning immediately and probably leaving the country. </p><p> </p><p>“He was the one she threw the football at?” Kristen asked, glancing back towards the half-orc making his exit. </p><p> </p><p>“Does explain the bandage. I wanna know what Riz did to piss him off.” Fig shrugged, patting a still-groaning Gorgug on the forehead and turning her attention to the others in the room. </p><p> </p><p>Daybreak was currently on Goldenhoard duty, looking immensely uncomfortable as the dragonborn tried to stomp out of the room, impeded by the fact that he was still extremely injured. </p><p> </p><p>Riz was poking around the remains of the corn ooze, and a few feet away Fabian and Bill Seacaster were talking to each other, Fabian gesturing vaguely to the cafeteria, corn remains, and one of them every now and then, Hangman lying on his feet with his head on his paws.</p><p> </p><p>When the cavalry had first arrived, Fig had been <em> slightly </em>hysterical, so she wasn’t a hundred percent sure on what exactly happened. But she definitely remembered that Bill, rather than be horrified at his son lying unconscious on the floor, or the, you know, two dead students, had been utterly thrilled to discover there had been a terrific battle on school grounds, and upon Fabian being healed enough to wake up, had demanded a dramatic retelling of the tale. </p><p> </p><p>The bits of Fabian’s story that Fig heard was fairly half-hearted, but Bill seemed unnervingly excited for an authority figure regardless. Fig honestly could not tell if that was suspicious, or if Bill was just… like that. </p><p> </p><p>And <em> before </em>the cavalry had arrived, Fig was pretty sure she’d been trying to crawl out a window while Adaine had a panic attack or something over in the corner.</p><p> </p><p>Thinking about suspicious figures got Fig’s brain whirring, and she leaned back a little, thinking about the entire afternoon. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s so strange.” She said, and Gorgug and Kristen both looked at her. “Like, what even just happened?”</p><p> </p><p>Kristen opened her mouth before closing it again, her brow furrowing together. “We… were attacked by a monster.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but monsters don’t just show up out of nowhere. Not in Elmville.” Fig said, jabbing a thumb towards Goldenhoard. “And the Lunch Lad got possessed. <em> That </em>doesn’t just happen out of nowhere.” </p><p> </p><p>“But then… how did it happen?” Gorgug asked, pulling himself up into a sitting position. </p><p> </p><p>“An excellent question.” Fig’s mouth curled into a sly grin. “Who in this school would have the opportunity, the ability, the motive?”</p><p> </p><p>“The only people at the school right now are all the other freshmen, and the faculty,” Kristen said, and Fig nodded, her eyes following Goldenhoard as he finally limped out of the cafeteria.</p><p> </p><p>“And I don’t think any of the other freshmen are powerful enough to pull off that kind of stunt,” Fig said. “And Goldenhoard <em> probably </em>didn’t possess himself.” </p><p> </p><p>“You think it was one of the other faculty?” Gorgug asked, and Fig snapped her fingers, pointing at him.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Exactly. </em>Who else could it be?” </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, Fig…” Gorgug ran a hand through his hair, sighing. </p><p> </p><p>“Everyone alive again?” Bill Seacaster’s voice boomed before any of them could continue discussing, and Fig glanced up to see him beginning to walk towards them, a very tired-looking Fabian following behind, and Riz skulking around a little further back. </p><p> </p><p>Bill walked up, slapping Gorgug and then Kristen on the back. “Well done, you two! I can already tell you’re all going to make brilliant adventurers!” </p><p> </p><p>He laughed, before becoming quite serious. “Now, we need to seal the entire area so we can find out what happened, so you should all go get cleaned up, we’ll call your parents to come pick you up.” He looked over his shoulder, towards Daybreak. “Coach! Get Jace and Porter in here to stop any other idiots from walking in til the police arrive, will you?”</p><p> </p><p>As Daybreak left, the rest of them all got to their feet, Adaine hastily walking over to join them once everyone started standing up and preparing to leave, but Fig was frowning. There was still so much she didn’t understand. If this cafeteria got sealed, she might never find out the truth of what really happened. </p><p> </p><p>Bill was the only adult left in the cafeteria, still congratulating Kristen and Gorgug on their first death, and telling them all that their parents were going to be so proud and yes, Adaine, he was definitely going to tell them about how heroic she'd been nearly ladling an enemy to death, why are you cringing?. Fig rolled her eyes at that idea, slipping to the back of the group and sidling up to Riz.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, I’m not the only one who found this super suspicious, right?” She whispered, keeping an eye on Bill.</p><p> </p><p>Riz glanced up at her, before sighing heavily. “No, you’re not. This was a set-up. I think that paper you shot was a spell of some kind.” </p><p> </p><p>“Exactly, and I don’t trust the faculty or the police.” </p><p> </p><p>“My mom’s a police officer, if she ends up here, I’d trust whatever she says about it.” Riz did not seem particularly enthused about the whole conversation, but his brow was furrowed thoughtfully.</p><p> </p><p>Fig hummed to herself, folding her arms. “I don’t. But it’s Jace and Porter I’m most worried about. If they’re in here alone, they could do anything.” </p><p> </p><p>“Tamper with the crime scene?” Riz suggested, and Fig nodded. “What are we supposed to do to stop them?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if one of us stays behind and hides to watch them, then we’d know if they messed with anything,” Fig said, looking expectantly down at Riz. </p><p> </p><p>He stared at her, and then slow realisation dawned, his frown deepening. </p><p> </p><p>Fig quickly held her hands up. “Well, <em> I’m </em>gonna be pretty obvious hiding under a table.” </p><p> </p><p>“You’re the rogue here, isn’t hiding part of your shtick?” Riz said.</p><p> </p><p>“Well if we’re going by stereotypes, goblins are pretty good at hiding too. Besides, I really consider myself more of an investigator than a hider.” Fig countered, shrugging her shoulders. “Plus, if they call my mom and then I’m still hiding when she comes to pick me up that’s gonna look pretty weird. Will your police mom be picking you up?”</p><p> </p><p>Riz glanced away. “Yeah, she’ll be the one.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright, alright, I’ll do it.”</p><p> </p><p>Fig grinned, and Riz rolled his eyes at her before peeling away from the group, everyone else walking ahead of them and in no position to notice him find a hiding spot. Fig quickly jogged up next to Adaine, following them out of the cafeteria. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” Fig said, trying to act casual.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi.” Adaine luckily didn’t seem to be paying much attention, nor did anyone else, and if anyone noticed Riz’s sudden absence once they left the cafeteria, they didn’t speak up. Bill got them all to hang around until Daybreak returned with two other teachers, a tanned blonde half-elf and a rocky grey-skinned earth genasi carrying a stone war hammer that must’ve been Jace and Porter.</p><p> </p><p>“No one is allowed in or out until the police arrive, you hear?” Bill said, and Jace and Porter both nodded.</p><p> </p><p>Fig watched them closely as they opened the cafeteria doors, catching their first glimpse inside. Jace whistled lowly, remarking something about how it looked like a warzone in there. Porter didn’t say much at all, simply grunting, his expression barely changing. As if he weren’t surprised by what he was seeing at all. </p><p> </p><p>Stoic, or suspicious? Definitely suspicious. </p><p> </p><p>Fig and the others got passed off to Daybreak, who showed them the locker rooms and got some towels and Owlbear-themed sweatpants and sweatshirts to wear if they wanted to take a shower. None of the others hesitated to take that offer, but Fig did, waiting until Kristen came back to keep an eye on the area before ducking in for a quick shower herself. After they were all finished, they were sent out to the front of the school to wait for their parents to arrive. </p><p> </p><p>By the time they got out to the front, police cars had driven up, some officers hanging outside while others had already gone in.</p><p> </p><p>“Hang on, where’d Riz go?” Fabian said once they were out there, all sitting on the steps with nothing to do but wait. </p><p> </p><p>“I asked him to hide in the cafeteria,” Fig said, slowly re-braiding her hair. “To make sure no one tried to mess with the crime scene.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why would anyone do that?” Fabian was sitting at the top of the stairs with a napping Hangman in his lap, stroking his fur lightly. He looked slightly uncomfortable in the casual clothes, his corn-soaked ones folded neatly next to him.</p><p> </p><p>“Because they might be one of the ones behind it!” Why wasn’t anyone else as concerned about this as her? “We have no idea what happened in there, and none of it makes sense. It’s a conspiracy!” </p><p> </p><p>“Wait, who do you think is responsible?” Adaine was sitting on one of the lower stairs, having to twist around to look at Fig. She had been picking at her fingers incessantly, and actually seemed grateful for a distraction. Her hands were red like she’d been scrubbing them way too hard, and she’d taken the longest shower of them all by far, even though she wasn’t the one who’d been swallowed.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad you asked.” Fig grinned, clearing her throat. “Here’s the evidence. It all went down after school ended, which means the only people that should be on campus are the freshmen choosing their new adventuring party and the faculty. All the freshmen were distracted, which leaves <em> only </em> a faculty member. Ergo, my hypothesis: someone on the payroll in this school is <em> evil.</em>” </p><p> </p><p>“<em>Or,</em>” Fabian said. “Someone snuck onto school grounds. My father wouldn’t hire people that would do something like this.” </p><p> </p><p>“Or it was just an accident somehow.” Kristen pointed out, wringing out excess water from her hair. “Magic can do crazy stuff, sometimes.” </p><p> </p><p>Fig frowned, leaning forward with her chin in her hands and her elbows on her knees. “<em>Or </em> there’s a bunch of other <em> boring </em> reasons, I guess. If you want to be <em> boring.</em>” </p><p> </p><p>“I just kinda want to go home,” Gorgug said, sitting at the very bottom of the steps but leaning back so that he was sort of lying on the steps above him. He hadn’t really bothered drying his hair, which left it plastered to his face, making him look even sadder than he usually did. Which was pretty sad.</p><p> </p><p>“Home sounds good.” Fabian agreed, scratching behind Hangman’s ears. </p><p> </p><p>Pouting, Fig decided to pass the time by watching the police that were standing by the cars, just in case one of them did something interesting. They didn’t, but after a minute or so Riz walked up to them, still caked in corn guts.</p><p> </p><p>Fig perked up, while the others offered quiet or unenthused greetings. “Did you see anything? Did Jace and Porter do anything?” </p><p> </p><p>“Not really.” Riz shrugged, thinking for a moment. “Porter did say that this seemed like something must’ve gone wrong, and Jace said that some ward must have suddenly started working again to make the corn monster stop.”</p><p> </p><p>“A ward?” Gorgug asked.</p><p> </p><p>“There are wards around the school, I’m pretty sure,” Fabian said. “They’re supposed to protect it from… stuff like this.” </p><p> </p><p>Fig slapped her hands on her knees. “Conspiracy!”</p><p> </p><p>Riz didn’t skip a beat. “-but then Porter said that maybe it got stopped by us somehow. He said it pretty creepily, but I think they were just guessing. And Jace mentioned that there was lots of divine magic in the air, and some arcane which he figured came from Fabian? And then Porter said that you can never trust the divine.” </p><p> </p><p>“Suspicious.” Fig hissed, loud enough to make sure that everyone else could hear. “Porter looked pretty strong. Maybe strong enough to break through a ward.”</p><p> </p><p>“Physical strength generally isn’t how you break through wards,” Adaine said.</p><p> </p><p>“It <em> could </em>be.” Fig countered.</p><p> </p><p>“It really isn’t.” </p><p> </p><p>“Unless it <em> is</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“Also,” Riz continued. “Jace said that since we missed the window to form an adventuring party, we’re all kinda automatically one. Then the police showed up and my mom saw me so I left.” </p><p> </p><p>“What?” Adaine and Fabian both said at the same time, immediately looking to each other and then tearing their gazes away in distaste.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Adaine groaned into her hands. Fig raised an eyebrow, looking between the two curiously. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad!” Kristen said brightly. “I think you guys are all really cool, and we can all be really good friends. How do you all feel about me adding you to a prayer chain?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why not. I don’t understand religion anyway.” Gorgug murmured, having stared up into the sky this entire time. Kristen laughed, thought it quickly descended into the awkward chuckling of someone who was finding she agreed with the statement a little too much, before fading entirely. </p><p> </p><p>“My crystal’s confiscated, but if you make the notifications annoying enough my mom might give it back so yeah, add me to whatever. If you want.” Adaine said, shrugging. The others all offered their own agreements, perhaps just curious to see what a ‘prayer chain’ was like, perhaps just because they all had a feeling Kristen was going to add them to it anyway. </p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t much longer before parents began to roll up. Fabian went first, apparently having called for a car to take him home rather than wait for his father to finish his workday and go home with him. Gorgug and Kristen left soon after, their respective parents getting out of the car and hugging them tight, smothering them with kisses before bundling them inside their van or station wagon respectively and driving off. </p><p> </p><p>There was a little while of nothing for the three of them still left there, and Fig already knew that Riz was going to have to wait until his mother was finished regardless, so he’d probably be the last to leave. But her or Adaine could get picked up at any moment, and there were some things she’d noticed that she just wanted to get to the bottom of. </p><p> </p><p>“So why do you hate Fabian so much?” She asked. Adaine, who had been tense since the battle had ended, stiffened up even further, turning to look at her with narrowed eyes. On another part of the stairs, Riz stifled a cough into his hands, pointedly looking away. </p><p> </p><p>Adaine opened her mouth and then closed it again, before looking away. “I don’t <em> hate </em>him. He annoys me.” </p><p> </p><p>“But why? You only met him, like, today.” Fig pressed. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve known him since we were kids.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” Fig blinked. “But then what did he do?” </p><p> </p><p>“Other than act like a typical pompous wizard who has never worked for anything besides <em> magic </em>his entire life?” Adaine drawled.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, yeah,” Fig said, and Adaine frowned, tugging at the sleeves of her borrowed sweatshirt and not answering. </p><p> </p><p>Fig considering asking again, only for a nice car to drive up, Adaine quickly standing and picking up her backpack. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.” She visibly straightened up her posture, walking towards the car with her head held high. A woman wearing glasses, presumably her mother, climbed out of the car to greet her, but rather than hug her or smile or any of the things Fig had seen Gorgug and Kristen’s parents do, she just spoke to Adaine quietly enough that Fig couldn’t hear.</p><p> </p><p>She couldn’t make out exactly what Adaine said in response either, but she could hear the bite in the tone, saw one hand curl tighter around the hilt of her greatsword and the other form a small fist at her side, and after a moment Adaine brushed past her, climbing into the car and not looking back towards either Fig or Riz before closing the door behind her. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you really think there’s a conspiracy going on here?” Riz asked, after Adaine’s car had left the parking lot entirely. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Fig said. “Something weird is happening.”</p><p> </p><p>Riz fell silent for a moment, before continuing. “Do you think the missing girls might have something to do with it? They all went to this school.” </p><p> </p><p>“That’s… a really good connection.” Fig said. “Maybe you could be a detective as well.”</p><p> </p><p>Riz chuckled hollowly, shaking his head. “No. No way. I- thinking too much about that kind of stuff just gets me angry. I just want it all to be solved already.” </p><p> </p><p>Fig hummed, before hearing a familiar squawk overhead. “Oop, there’s my ride.” </p><p> </p><p>She stood up, stretching her arms over her head and picking up her things, before turning back to Riz. “Good thing I’m on the case, then, that way <em> I </em>can do all the detective work, and you don’t have to worry about it as much.”</p><p> </p><p>Riz smiled awkwardly. “Sure. Bye, Fig.” </p><p> </p><p>Fig tossed up a mock salute before walking over to where Baxter had landed, her mom already climbing off the griffin and meeting her a couple of feet away.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you alright?” Sandra Lynn asked, putting her hands on Fig’s shoulders. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine, mom. I’ve decided adventuring school is pretty awesome, actually.” Fig shrugged her off, moving past and climbing up onto Baxter. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to interpret that as you deciding to care about your education, so I’m very proud.” Sandra Lynn said, climbing up in front of her and preparing Baxter to take off again. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I think some of the staff are totally evil, so I’m gonna investigate them and find out the truth!” </p><p> </p><p>“oh god no.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>in case you haven't noticed i have lots of feelings about religion, particularly christianity, and those feelings WILL be making their way in here</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Sometimes You Gotta Draw A Line</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fabian decides to go all in. Fig considers a new pathway. Adaine decides she has enough potential friends.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Usually, Fabian woke up close to the break of dawn, ready to meet the day with vigour and excitement, to study his spells and do anything he needed to be prepared for the day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the morning of his second day of school, he snoozed his alarm. Then he snoozed it again. And again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then a half dozen or so more times.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then his crystal pinged, and when he finally squinted his eyes open to look at it, he saw a cheerful good morning message from Kristen on an app called ‘Prayer Chain’ which had a scripture verse attached to the bottom, followed by some confused messages from some random old women, and finally, one from Fig that appeared to have some kind of fire effect on it, along with the words ‘WHO’S READY FOR A CONSPIRACY?!?!?!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian put down his phone and snoozed his alarm for the tenth time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, there was a knock at his door, and Fabian pulled himself out of bed, rubbing at his eyes and wondering if perhaps the crazier parts of yesterday had all been some kind of terrible dream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the foot of his bed, Hangman stirred, rolling over and kicking at the sheets for a few moments before sitting up, tail wagging quickly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Yesterday was so exciting! What do you think will happen this time?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah. So not a dream.” Fabian pinched the bridge of his nose, running his other hand over his hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, it was very real. You were excellent, master.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hangman tilted his head to the side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian wasn’t sure he’d call nearly dying exciting, but at least someone was pleased with how everything had gone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Are you alright?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m wonderful.” Fabian chuckled. “I lived, didn’t I?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Master Fabian? Are you awake?” The door cracked open, and Cathilda popped her head in, a look of concern on her face. “You’re unusually late to breakfast.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m awake, Cathilda.” Fabian stood up. “Just lost track of time looking over my spells.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s alright then.” Cathilda smiled easily, opening the door wider and revealing a clothes hanger with his suit on it. “Your uniform is all cleaned again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wonderful, thank you, Cathilda.” Fabian said, smiling loosely at her and accepting the suit. “I’ll be down soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your father had to teleport to school early to finish dealing with some of the, er- leftover work from yesterday’s incident, so you just let me know when you’re ready and you can take the car.” She patted his hand as she passed the suit over. “It’s a scary thing to go through on your first day of school, you know it’s alright if you need a day off to relax.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Take the day off?” Fabian repeated, barely considering it before shaking his head. “Oh, I can’t do that. You don’t need to worry about me, Cathilda. It will take more than a simple corn monster to rattle a Seacaster.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was Fabian Aramais Seacaster, son of the greatest wizard to ever live! If he was ever going to climb to the heights his father had reached, he had no time for days off. He certainly doubted any of his new de-facto adventuring party would be taking the day off either, and if Kristen and Gorgug could go back to school after dying, then he had no excuse. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just to prove how absolutely fine he was, he got ready for school in record time, his clothes and hair perfect, with not a single trace of what had happened the previous day. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the way, he finally decided to properly check the Prayer Chain messages that the others (mostly Kristen) had been sending. Apparently, there was going to be another assembly that morning, presumably to discuss what had happened the previous day, and some of the others wanted to meet up so that they could sit together and talk about it a little before it happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So when Fabian got to school, with Hangman trotting beside him, he headed towards the designated meeting place, a wooden table underneath an oak tree. The others were all there when he arrived, waving him over, Gorgug shuffling aside to let him sit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Compared to how they’d been when he’d last seen them the previous day, they were all looking very healthy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what’s happening?” Fabian asked, resting down his backpack. Hangman scratched at his legs until he lifted him up and put him on the table, whereupon he immediately set about receiving pets and scratches from everyone else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were actually hoping you might be able to give us a hint,” Kristen said, in between cooing at Hangman. “Your dad’s the principal, has he said anything to you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>said anything to </span>
  <em>
    <span>him?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Fig asked, narrowing her eyes a little. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course</span>
  </em>
  <span> I told him what happened,” Fabian said. “I’m not going to suspect my father of conspiracy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did he say?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He assured me they were going to find a new employee to serve lunch as soon as possible and then congratulated me on not breaking my orb.” Fabian threw his hands up in the air. “No one died permanently, so he seems to think it was just a slightly more exciting than usual first day.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s suspicious.” Fig folded her arms, and Fabian scowled at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My father is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>suspicious.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unless that’s what he wants you to think.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you just think everything is suspicious until proven otherwise?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, if the greatest wizard of our time doesn’t have any brilliant insights, we might as well go to the assembly,” Adaine said blandly. “We’re going to be late.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian huffed, but the others agreed, and they all headed to the assembly together, finding some seats and keeping an eye out for anything interesting. Fabian overheard lots of whispering and rumours about what was going on. Most of them had already caught wind that </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>had gone down in the cafeteria, but details were scarce. No one seemed to know exactly who was involved either, which might be a good thing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bill walked on stage, and everyone quieted, waiting to get some answers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gooooooood morning, everyone!” He bellowed, continuing before he got any kind of response. “Now I’m sure you’re all wondering what happened yesterday to cause such a big fuss.” He paused. “Well, you’re not gonna find out, so don’t bother me about it! Everyone’s alive and we are investigating the incident!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That kicked off a round of murmuring, and Bill snapped his fingers, a thunderous noise cracking in the auditorium. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>However! </span>
  </em>
  <span>I will need your attention for the rest of this assembly.” He pulled out a flashcard, his voice dropping to an almost pleasant, cordial tone. “First, I would like to acknowledge the decades of work put in by our hardworking former lunch server Goldenhoard, who resigned yesterday. If any of you kids know someone who can replace him, resumes can be sent to the Vice-Principal’s office.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Some kid a few rows ahead of Fabian raised a hand, calling out, “What happened to him?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was nearly brained by a ladle yesterday, so he decided to be a coward and quit on the spot!” Bill announced without missing a beat. So much for not giving away any details of the incident, Fabian supposed. A few seats away, Adaine sunk so low in her chair that she was in danger of slipping off entirely. Bill cleared his throat, his voice calm again. “And of course, we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before everyone could process that new piece of information, Bill continued. “Anyway, the vote to reinstate Prom King and Queen has been a success and in the interest of- what was it again?” He paused, and a random teacher walked up to whisper in his ear. “... safety, whatever that is, we have some announcements regarding the school, presented by this random nerd that I did not know existed until this morning.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked off stage, and a chubby red-headed pixie with thick glasses flew up, chuckling nervously before speaking. “Uh, hey everyone, I’m Biz Glitterdew, head of the AV club if you didn’t already know, hit me up-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was dead silence in the auditorium, and Fabian quietly wondered if it would automatically end at the first bell if they were still going by then. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m uh, super pumped to be up here addressing the coolest school in Elmville- you know, me and my crew are usually doing-” He made a weird gesture with his hands. “Behind the scenes work, so it’s real exciting to be here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>More silence. Biz visibly gulped before continuing. “So, uh- yeah, we’ve got some new security measures being put in place around the school, just keeping an eye on things, lookin out for any… dastardly business.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Okay, now Fabian was paying attention, and looking out the corner of his eye he could see Fig sit up a little straighter too, frowning, the others seemed vaguely interested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So we’ll have modified dream crystals put in place for clairaudience and clairvoyance-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re recording us?” Fig called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Police state!” Some other kid shouted out, starting a round of grumbling and murmurs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! Breach of privacy!” Fig shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s really not,” Fabian said, before hesitating. “I mean, depending on where exactly the crystals are.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Will the crystals be everywhere?” Kristen shouted out, and Biz seemed to latch onto that as a not-entirely-hostile question, pointing in Kristen’s general direction and speaking into the microphone louder than he had before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent question! The crystals will be installed in hallways, classrooms and public areas like that- it’s really actually very fascinating, I’d love to explain it-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can they be hacked?” Adaine shouted out before wilting in the face of other students looking her way. The idea hadn’t occurred to Fabian before, but it was a good question. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Especially if they were going to be trying to investigate anything they didn’t want to be able to be observed all the time- wait. Wait, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t want to investigate anything! Goddamnit, Fig was starting to infect him with conspiracy fever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It would require a very, heh, skilled technician to tamper with these crystals, don’t worry-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Police state!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A skilled technician, like perhaps… a member of the faculty?” Fig stage-whispered to the six of them. “Who are probably the ones who want these crystals in the first place!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is ridiculous.” Fabian hissed, leaning towards them, though luckily most of the other students were now having a wonderful time bombaring Biz with inane questions about the crystals, so their discussion went unnoticed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m coming around to the conspiracy, actually,” Kristen said, grinning. “It sounds fun.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Something </span>
  </em>
  <span>weird happened.” Riz pointed out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But does that mean we’re the ones who have to figure it out?” Fabian asked. “Gorgug, you’re with me, aren’t you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug shrugged. “I feel very uncertain about my place in the world right now. Maybe the faculty are trying to kill us. Who knows.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Preach.” Kristen nodded solemnly. “But maybe not to Helio.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was he the only one with brain cells right now? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I bet your dad would love it if you figured out what had happened, Seacaster,” Adaine said. “Using your brains to solve problems is something </span>
  <em>
    <span>wizards </span>
  </em>
  <span>do, isn’t it?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian turned to retort to her, only for the idea to sink in. He closed his mouth. Considered it for a moment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If </span>
  </em>
  <span>he uncovered a member of the staff that had threatened the school… swooping in and saving the day before his father even realised something was wrong… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian could almost feel his own brain cells packing up to take a vacation, but found it surprisingly easy to ignore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Solving the mystery it is!” </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The assembly didn’t last for too much longer, mostly because the vice-principal got sick of everyone pestering Biz with questions about privacy and hacking and sent them all off to class early. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig and the others agreed to meet up again at lunch to visit the AV club and </span>
  <span>interrogate</span>
  <span> talk to Biz, but until then it was business as usual.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course… Fig still hadn’t exactly located where the rogue teacher </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>classroom was, so she was wandering the halls again. Not that she was very upset about it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The new surveillance dream crystals were already being installed, popping up in almost every corner. Fig began taking notes of where they all were, maybe tossing in a couple of obscene gestures at them to make sure whoever viewed the footage knew her displeasure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Flicking her notepad shut, she peeked in through the windows of classrooms as she passed them by. She saw Riz in one of them, freezing in the hallway and getting a closer look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz was sitting at a desk close to the back of the room, tapping his fingers on the edge with empty desks on either side of him. Looking to the front of the classroom, Fig saw Porter, droning on about something. Probably something </span>
  <em>
    <span>suspicious.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Narrowing her eyes, Fig made a snap decision. At least she’d be attending a class of some kind. Education achieved.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few kids looked her way when she opened the door, but Porter hardly seemed to notice. A confident smirk on her face, Fig slid into one of the empty seats beside Riz, who had looked up when she opened the door, his face a mixture of confusion and mild dread.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing here?” He whispered, leaning towards him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna spy on Porter,” Fig whispered back with a wink, looking back up at Porter, who still had yet to notice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think he’s gonna do anything during class,” Riz said, before he began to frown. “Wait, do you think </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>can’t spy on him myself?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Were you gonna spy on him?” Fig asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz stared at her. “... No.”  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig nodded smugly, and Riz rolled his eyes, resting his head in his hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Has anything weird happened so far?” Fig asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Besides the sorcery teacher showing up?.” Riz deadpanned, pointing to the corner of the room where Jace was sitting, waggling his eyebrows in Porter’s direction and not paying attention to anything else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t he have a class?” Fig asked, staring. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve heard sorcery is pretty blase.” Riz shrugged, before hesitating, and leaning in towards her. “Well- actually, Ostentatia’s not here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ostentatia?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The girl we got to spy on Penelope and Sam yesterday?” Riz’s eyes flickered towards the front of the room. “She’s a barbarian, I guess, and Porter called her name at the beginning of the lesson but she’s not here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh dear. Well, that could be a problem. But why would Ostentatia not be here? One possibility popped into her head immediately.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe she’s dead,</span>
  <em>
    <span>” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fig whispered somberly. When she noticed the extremely confused and horrified face Riz made in response, she thought for a couple more seconds. “Or she’s sick or something. Which is probably more likely. I guess.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz just grimaced, looking away before Fig could suggest any other possibilities. Fig pulled out her notebook and wrote down Ostentatia’s name, circling it with a dozen question marks so she’d know it was important, before turning her attention back to why she’d entered this classroom in the first place (besides to hang out with Riz). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Porter, despite being oblivious to a random student joining his class and whispering with someone else in the back row for five minutes, turned out to be a pretty good teacher. His voice was slow and monotonous, but everything he said was </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>creepy enough that Fig was paying attention simply to try and figure out what the hell his deal was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-and that of course brings us to our rage,” Porter said, beginning to walk down the rows. “Rage is the single most important part of any barbarian’s journey, but where- hang on.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused directly in front of the desk Fig had co-opted, squinting down at her. “You weren’t here this morning.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m thinking about multiclassing.” Fig leaned back in her chair, smirking knowingly at him. “Thought I might research my options.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>I’m onto you, wrong-doer, she thought in her head. Just one slip-up and she’d… well, she’d do something. And it would be awesome. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Porter looked at her for a long moment. “Alright then. As I was saying, rage is what makes a barbarian a barbarian. But where does rage come from?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s our anger, isn’t it?” Riz asked, before anyone else could get a word in edgewise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And where does your anger come from?” Porter asked, turning towards Riz. Fig looked towards him too, curious about his answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-” Riz faltered for a moment, his eyes flickering around the room before he cleared his throat, speaking a bit louder. “Well- I’m angry at people looking down on me! And- uh- when bad things happen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Porter nodded. “And that is what fuels you? What everything else fades away and only one furious thought runs through your mind, that’s it?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh- yeah,” Riz said, his shoulders stiff and only relaxing after Porter accepted the answer and turned towards Fig.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what about you, multiclasser? Where would your rage come from?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig looked him in the eye for a moment, purposefully letting the question hang in the air, before leaning forward in her chair. “I think… my rage is more of a refusal to let anything stand in my way. People will let you down all the time, so I can’t let them hold me back from the truth and what I want, so I just have to make sure that rage doesn’t drag me down either.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow.” Porter nodded, almost seeming to show an emotion. “Excellent. What’s your name?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your worst nightmare.” She hadn’t broken eye contact the entire time, watching for every single twitch, every possible sign of something nefarious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright now, threatening battle cries isn’t til week four, don’t get ahead of yourself,” Porter said. “But this is what I’m talking about folks. Dig deep!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Porter collected a few more answers from other kids before telling them all to divide into pairs to discuss a list of questions relating to rage, none of which Fig intended to answer. Instead, she turned her chair around to face Riz.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what do you think we should do about Ostentatia?” She asked. Riz gave her a long look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just want to say, I do </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>appreciate being deputised for this.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whaaaaat-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I did not anticipate volunteering to go break stuff for you yesterday would lead to conspiracies.” Riz hissed, his ears pinned back, eyes constantly darting around to see if anyone was listening. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, don’t you want to solve the case?” Fig asked. “We worked so well together yesterday! And you kicked ass in the cafeteria. And you’re coming with us to the AV club at lunch, right?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz sighed, rubbing his arms. “Yeah, yeah. But- I don’t like getting my hopes up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t respond for a tense moment, and when he finally did, it was by blatantly dodging the question. “Why do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>care so much about this case?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig narrowed her eyes, but decided to let it go. “Because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>like the truth. This summer I found out my mom had been lying to me my entire life, and I don’t want to be stuck with lies anymore.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s… kinda intense.” Riz said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because it’s like, I never had a dad growing up, right?” Fig began, and Riz’s face went blank for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to tell me, it’s fine-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you convinced me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t even ask.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So my mom always told me-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright then.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-my dad was just some random guy who left us, so, like, fuck him, right?” Pausing for a moment, she tapped at her horns. “Then these started growing in, and it turns out that he wasn’t just some asshole elf passing through town, he’s an actual devil. But Mom won’t tell me who, so I’m going to find out, and I won’t stop until I do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She leaned back a little, brushing some hair out of her face. “So I’m not gonna let some stupid teacher-” She squinted and looked pointedly towards Porter. “- lie and get away with any evil nonsense either.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh,” Riz said quietly, thinking hard for a moment. Finally, he exhaled slowly, before looking up at her. “Okay… so what do you think we should do about Ostentatia?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His words took a couple of moments to sink in, and then Fig blinked. “Yeah? You’re in for real?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz chuckled lightly. “Yeah, why not. If you’re on the case, maybe it’ll end well.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A grin spread upon her face, and Fig mock-saluted him. “You know it, Gukgak! Hey, maybe we can call each other by our last names, like real detectives.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riz is fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riz it is! I prefer Fig too anyway.” She beamed, holding up a hand curled into a fist. After a second, Riz bumped his own into it, smiling lightly. Then she pulled out her notepad. “Let’s get down to business.” </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the bell rang for lunch, Adaine met up with the others outside the cleric classroom, which was the closest to the AV club. Gorgug and Fabian were already there when she arrived, leaning against the wall with Hangman trotting around their feet. Kristen arrived soon after, and then after another minute or so Riz and Fig arrived together, chatting intently to each other about something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So are we ready to go?” Fabian asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hang on,” Fig said, flicking through her notepad. “There’s been… a new development.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you going to tell us what it is?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig nodded, flipping her notepad around to reveal a page that just had the name ‘Ostentatia’ written on it with a bunch of question marks around it. “Ostentatia Wallace. Freshman. Barbarian. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Missing.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s a girl we met yesterday but she wasn’t in class today.” Riz translated. “Since… other girls have gone missing from this school recently we thought it might be connected.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Also we asked her to spy on some seniors yesterday and we don’t know what she heard yet, which is a major bummer if she really is missing,” Fig said. “Also Porter is totally evil I’m just sayin.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s probably not, he’s just never surprised by anything.” Riz sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you two have been busy,” Adaine said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just dedicated to the truth,” Fig said with a grin. “Speaking of, let’s find out the truth about these dream crystals!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you guys can have fun with that in the nerd lab, I’ll stay outside where my social status can remain intact and guard the door,” Fabian said, folding his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re already a nerd, you’re a wizard,” Riz said. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>And </span>
  </em>
  <span>the principal’s son, that’s like a double whammy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I’m a </span>
  <em>
    <span>cool </span>
  </em>
  <span>nerd.” Fabian sputtered, and Hangman barked something akin to an agreement. “See? Hangman gets it. You guys can just tell me what you find out when you’re done.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you want to stand around for ten minutes, be our guest, nerd.” Adaine rolled her eyes, pushing open the door to the AV club and walking in, the others minus Fabian shrugging and following.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The AV Club was in a room about a third of the size of a normal classroom, though Adaine could see another door that presumably led to some kind of back area. It was brightly lit, with a few tables and tall modems and piles of computer equipment resting on them or pushed up against the wall, cords, and cables running all over the ground and taped to the wall to stop them from drooping. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were three other students inside, including the pixie, Biz, that had made the announcement at that morning’s assembly. He was fiddling with the cables on one of the machines, pushing up his glasses before looking up when the door opened. “Huh? Hello? Uh- what’s up?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re curious about tech stuff!” Kristen said brightly, and Biz’s demeanor instantly changed from wary curiosity to full interest, dropping what he was doing and flying up to them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, great! Heh- I’m always happy to educate- uh, especially curious souls as lovely as yourselves-” He did an ungraceful mid-air bow, particularly towards Kristen, Fig and Adaine, the three of them exchanging a quick glance as if to double-check they’d all noticed it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Growing up surrounded by rich people, Adaine had gotten used to having to try and judge a person in a very short amount of time. When he’d been on stage she could have put it down to nerves or stage fight, but here in his element, he exuded creep vibes, what little ease she had instantly burned away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, the AV Club just seems… really cool.” Fig seemed hesitant for the first time since Adaine had met her, and Biz looked at her like she’d just told him he’d won the biggest lottery jackpot ever. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it is! What do you want to know, I’ve got business cards, pamphlets, I can give you a tour-” He flew over to a backpack sitting on one of the tables, rummaging through for cards and brochures. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was just wondering like, who set this all up? How does… how does it all run?” Fig continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“T-there’s gotta be a teacher in charge of all this, right?” Adaine said. “Like, you don’t just get free reign over the school.” Because that would be concerning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sure!” Biz said, flying back up to them. “You know, I set it up my freshman year, we had to go through Principal Seacaster, file a bunch of forms, it was, heh, wild. Technically, uh, Coach Daybreak is like our supervisor, he pops in every now and then to check on us, cause we record bloodrush games and stuff.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about these new dream crystals? You guys are the ones in charge of it all?” Riz asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who even came up with that idea, like, that’s crazy,” Kristen added on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was like, the police, they thought it would be a good idea, I think, and like, Vice-Principal Doreen and Porter came by and got us to start setting it up this morning, it’s been, hehe, </span>
  <em>
    <span>crazy,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Biz said, pointing behind him to a newish-looking rig filled with screens and buttons. “So, me and my boys- oh hang on, I totally forgot to introduce you to the rest of the club!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He flew back a little towards the middle of the room, gesturing towards the two other students in the room, who had either been ignoring them entirely or watching curiously over their laptop screen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, these are, heh, mah bois, we got Skrank Douglas-” Biz chuckled, pointing out a lanky Aarakocra who had been watching them over the laptop screen, who made a strange squawking sound as if clearing his throat. Or maybe just saying his name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sup, yeah, it’s been </span>
  <em>
    <span>wild </span>
  </em>
  <span>in here, we got people comin in left and right,” Skrank said, his head bobbing up and down. “Cuh-razy town.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and then this is Shellford-” Biz pointed to the other student, a short and squat tortle teenager with wide-rimmed glasses and a seemingly permanent scowl on his face. “He’s kind of the bad boy of the club.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shellford slowly turned towards them, his head tilting upwards slightly. “Sup.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi.” Adaine and the others gave a fairly lackluster greeting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, whatever.” Shellford rolled his eyes before looking back to his screen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s the ‘bad boy’?” Fig asked incredulously, glancing back to Biz. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Biz made a face like he’d just been waiting for someone to comment, flying a little closer to them again and whispering. “Oh yeah, but don’t worry- he’s just got a bit of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘shell’</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine heard some of the others audibly exhale through their teeth, and Biz just hovered there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You get it? Like, emotionally, but he’s-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We got it.” Riz snapped, one of his ears twitching irritably. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Biz clapped his hands together, apparently considering all of that a brilliant success. “Well! So, uh- any of you interested in joining the club? We’ve always got some room, especially for- heh, beautiful ladies such as yourselves. You know, girls hardly ever give the AV club a chance but there’s really a lot to offer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine had to physically hold back a grimace, holding her hands together behind her back and pressing her thumb into the palm of her hand. “I’d have to check with my parents, they’re… real strict about extra-curriculars.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m actually pretty busy, with like, other clubs that I’ve already committed to,” Fig said quickly. “If only I’d come here yesterday, haha…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll think about it,” Kristen said, very obviously edging closer to the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all glanced at each other, then at Riz and Gorgug. Biz was still hovering there expectantly, and Adaine sure as hell wasn’t going to take one for the team. Not for this. If other girls had stayed away from the AV club, there was probably a very good reason. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Gorgug slowly raised a hand. “I think… I’m pretty interested. I guess.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh great!” Biz said, seeming excited regardless. “Well, we’re pretty busy right now with these new crystals-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m-” Gorgug looked awkwardly to them all for support, and Adaine gave him a silent thumbs up in thanks for his sacrifice. “I’m just so interested in how those dream crystals work and… what they do.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure!” Biz flew over to the display of screens, waving his hands in a small cantrip. They flickered, before settling on multiple images that Adaine recognised as locations around the school, students milling around in hallways, a couple pointing up at the new crystals. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all crowded around, and Adaine hovered near the edge of the group, seeing Fig subtly nudge Gorgug in the elbow, whispering in his ear before Gorgug spoke up at a normal volume. “Do you have any showing, like, the outside of the school?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Front-facing? Sure, just hold on a second-” Biz motioned with his hands and some of the displays changed, now showing the quad, parts of the carpark, and some of the grassy areas out the front of the school. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine looked closely at the cameras, trying to figure out why Fig would have wanted to see the outside of the school. It was very deserted at the moment, though there were a few groups of students beginning to come out to spend the rest of their lunch in the sun, and she saw one girl standing by herself under a tree, looking at a watch and rubbing her legs nervously, like she was waiting for something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig whispered in Gorgug’s ear again, before poking Riz in the shoulder, and Adaine narrowed her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow. That’s so cool.” Gorgug could not have sounded faker or more awkward if he tried. “But, uh- we have to go now. Right now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, totally,” Biz said, and most of them didn’t need to be told twice, hustling out of there with quick goodbyes, Fabian looking up from his crystal where he’d been leaning against the wall next to the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did you see?” Adaine turned towards Fig.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Penelope Everpetal by herself under a tree,” Fig said. “She’s one of the people Riz and I got Ostentatia to spy on yesterday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The one who looked worried?” Adaine asked, and Fig nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Penelope Everpetal? Isn’t she the one that was handing out all the vote ballots for prom king and queen yesterday?” Fabian asked, joining the circle. “I’m guessing it went well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A very successful infiltration,” Fig said proudly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think I’m part of a club now,” Gorgug said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good for you,” Fabian said, not at all genuinely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what are we going to do about Penelope?” Kristen asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to talk to her,” Fig said. “She already knows me and thinks I’m super-cool, so I can charm her into telling us all sorts of stuff. What else could we need to do?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was gonna head to the library at some point, maybe there’s something cool in there?” Kristen suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s a good idea, maybe there’s information about the wards and protections around the school that got broken yesterday,” Adaine said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I was gonna look for books on religion, but that works too,” Kristen said, shrugging.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I look for books on religion with you?” Gorgug asked, his hand curling around his staff a little tighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Totally!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if I’d be very good at… charming Penelope into telling us stuff.” Riz frowned lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Penelope really liked Hangman yesterday, I could come to talk to her,” Fabian said, and Fig snapped her fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perfect! A secret weapon…” She smiled down at Hangman, who had been periodically barking up at Fabian, having a great time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riz and I could try and find out where Ostentatia is,” Adaine suggested. “I mean, it would probably be a major breach of privacy if they told us but to be honest this school doesn’t seem that obsessed with ethics. Or safety.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fifty-fifty chance of success, if I had to guess,” Riz said, shrugging.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With all their roles assigned, and everyone’s goals clear, they split up, Kristen and Gorgug heading towards the library, Fabian and Fig towards the entrance, and Adaine and Riz heading towards the main faculty offices. Their next period was a free one, so hopefully, they’d have lots of time to accomplish their goals and meet back up to compare notes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked along in silence for thirty seconds or so, mostly staring straight ahead and avoiding other students. Adaine hadn’t really had much of a chance to talk to Riz, but he seemed mostly cool and sensible. Except for punching Gorgug in the kneecaps for no reason. But she couldn’t really judge him for that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were pretty cool with your axe yesterday.” Adaine finally said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were pretty cool with your sword,” Riz replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another awkward few seconds passed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you… want to talk about something?” Riz finally said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not really, silence just feels awkward if we haven’t agreed to be silent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m cool with silence.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cool.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cool.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>fuck biz all my homies hate biz yeehaw</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Turns Out Investigating Has Consequences</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fabian weaponises cuteness, Kristen experiments in blasphemy, Riz takes a trip to the other side of town.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Alright, here are our main objectives,” Fig announced, as Fabian followed her towards the front of the school where they’d seen Penelope. “Find out what she’s doing out there, and maybe see if she knows anything else about the missing girls.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t think she’s connected to it, do you?” Fabian asked, one eyebrow raised. He remembered hearing about girls going missing over the summer holidays but, well, he wasn’t a girl, so he figured he didn’t have much to worry about, so he hadn’t paid too much attention to the details.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would be juicy, wouldn’t it.” Fig steepled her hands together. “Only one way to find out.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bell signalling the end of lunch rang while they were still on their way, but once they made it outside the school, approaching the tree Fig had seen on the dream crystal footage, they saw Penelope still standing there, not making a move to head back inside to class. It was possible she had a free period like them, but if she didn’t, then why would she cut class?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian glanced down to Hangman, who was trotting alongside him. “Alright, Hangman, this is important. We need her to drop her guard.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ohohoho, and I will be the one to seduce her with my charm and cuteness? Of course~” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hangman yipped, a shockingly mischievous expression on his fluffy face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ew, gross.” Fabian grimaced. “Don’t say ‘seduce’ that makes it so weird.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I don’t see the issue.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just say, like, trick, or beguile, like a normal person,” Fabian said, scrunching his nose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked up to Penelope, Fig taking the lead and leaning up against the tree, brushing her braids behind her shoulder. “Hey Penelope, wasn’t expecting to see you out here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Penelope looked towards her, concern momentarily replaced with confusion. Fabian took up another spot on the trunk of the tree, leaning against it with his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket in a pose that was super suave. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, hey, freshmen,” Penelope said, her eyes flickering away. “What are you doing out here?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, cutting class again, the usual,” Fig said. “Right, Fabian?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh totally.” Fabian agreed, smirking slyly. “Figured we’d take a walk outside, you remember Hangman, don’t you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened up his arms and Hangman jumped into them, the tip of his tongue poking out and his head tilted </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever </span>
  </em>
  <span>so slightly to the side for maximum cuteness. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a moment, Penelope began to smile. Bingo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s so adorable. Ugh, I wish I could summon a familiar.” She said, scratching Hangman behind the ears before fixing Fabian with a curious look. “I can’t believe the principal’s son is skipping class.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, my dad doesn’t control me.” Fabian scoffed. “I do what I want.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s so crazy. Like, does your dad just let you do whatever?” Penelope asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty much.” Fabian shrugged casually. “I have parties at my manor like, every weekend, it’s pretty hardcore.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wooooow,” Penelope said, and Fig audibly cleared her throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, awesome, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyway, </span>
  </em>
  <span>we were just hanging out, but then we saw you out here, like, alone.” She said, pretending to play with her nails.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah,” Penelope’s face slipped a little and she looked out to the front of the school again. “It’s no big deal, I’m just, like, waiting for Sam.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your friend from yesterday?” Fig asked innocently, and Penelope nodded. “She was cool. What’s up with her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She just, like, hasn’t arrived at school yet, and she hasn’t responded to any of my messages,” Penelope said, and Fabian shared a quick glance with Fig, their eyes both widening. First Ostentatia, now Sam?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s so weird. Where do you think she is?” Fig asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you tried calling her?” Fabian suggested. Penelope stopped petting Hangman, pulling out her crystal and frowning down at it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, she didn’t pick up. She always tells me if she’s gonna skip school, so it’s like, what gives?” She huffed a little, trying to inject some bravado into her voice, but Fabian could hear the worry laced in it, and Penelope bit her lip, scrolling through messages. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where else could she be?” Fig asked, though she sounded more curious than sympathetic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is so strange.” Fabian quickly said, pushing Hangman up towards Penelope to distract her from listening to them too closely. Thankfully, she began petting him again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, like, I don’t know. Probably hanging out with Johnny or something, if she didn’t want to hang out with me.” Penelope frowned, before continuing. “I don’t even know what she sees in him, he’s such a weirdo. You saw his scooter right? That’s so weird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Went pretty fast, though,” Fig said, while Fabian tried to wrap his mind around this new information. Johnny? Scooter? What? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It goes </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>fast. I thought it was impossible for scooters to go that fast.” Penelope sounded like a strange mix between disappointed and confused. “I’m pretty sure it can keep up with like, an actual car.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Okay, now he was really confused, shooting a perplexed look to Fig, who just shrugged her shoulders as if to say ‘don’t worry about it’, before continuing talking to Penelope. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s crazy!” Fig said, pressing one hand to her cheek. “Where did he even get it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have no idea! Probably from this weird garage he hangs out at all the time? It’s like, over on the other side of the highway, super dingy, super gross, but Johnny is like, always there.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig made an odd face for a moment before smoothing it out, pushing off from the tree trunk and holding her hands behind her back. “He’s always over there? What does he even do?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know! He’s such a freak, but Sam says he’s like always out there, either in the garage with all his freaky friends or like, single-handedly keeping the diner next door in business.” Penelope huffed. “Maybe Sam is over there.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure she’s fine,” Fabian said. “Maybe her crystal ran out of power so she hasn’t been able to call you back.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, maybe,” Penelope said. “It’s just- with those other girls that have gone missing, it’s freaking me out, you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She bit her lip, before glancing at the two of them, a brief flash of sudden realisation and fear seeming to flash in her eyes before she shook her head, chuckling the fakest chuckles Fabian had ever heard in my life. “Like- it’s whatever, she’s probably fine. There’s no point just- waiting out here for her. You two are just freshmen, like-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, sometimes telling a couple randos your problems can be therapeutic,” Fabian said, shrugging his shoulders. “And you did get to pet a very cute dog.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He held Hangman up a little higher, hissing into his ears “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Do something cute do it right now-” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hangman immediately yipped in response, nuzzling his face into Penelope’s shoulder and sniffling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh~” Penelope scratched underneath his neck. “Okay, that totally makes it worth it, oh my gosh.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And obviously, we won’t tell a </span>
  <em>
    <span>soul</span>
  </em>
  <span> anything you told us,” Fig said solemnly, and Fabian nodded in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Obviously, or else I’d totally destroy you both, like, socially,” Penelope said with a laugh, before heading off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig and Fabian both waved goodbye, before turning to each other. Hangman settled quite happily in Fabian’s arms, a very satisfied look on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I think that was the best thing I’ve done since assaulting a sentient corn.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very successful, I think,” Fabian said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig had already pulled out her crystal. “It was great, now we just need to tell the others absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything </span>
  </em>
  <span>she just told us.” </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, welcome to the library, how can I help you?” The librarian was tall and skinny, and seemingly far beyond the average retiring age, blinking down at the two of them (well, down at Kristen, and up at Gorgug) as they approached her counter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we are looking for books on religion,” Kristen said. “And like, terrible events that have happened to innocent people. And maybe one that talks about both at the same time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And the school,” Gorgug added. “Like… wards and stuff, the faculty… blueprints…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes, that stuff too.” Kristen nodded quickly, even though she had forgotten entirely about that part of their mission. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well… we don’t exactly carry blueprints of the school, but I can see what I can do.” The librarian smiled reassuringly. “Any particular gods or religions you would like to know about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Vulcan.” Gorgug said, at the same time that Kristen said, “All of them.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The librarian nodded and headed off into the shelves, leaving Kristen and Gorgug waiting by the counter, exchanging furtive glances. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was hard for Kristen to forget that she had died yesterday, but it had been easy to forget that Gorgug had too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, uh… how have you been?” She asked. “You know… post-resurrection.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug made a pained looking face, rubbing at his arms and resting his tall metal staff against the counter. “I… it’s been weird. Really weird. Um, I saw my god.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>see my god,” Kristen said, hugging her arms across her chest. “I don’t think he even hangs out with his regular followers in the afterlife.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… don’t think Vulcan does either. He made it sound like he just sits in his foundry the whole time.” Gorgug said. “Making… important god projects, I guess.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds so lonely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Really lonely.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But was it cool? Meeting your god?” Kristen asked, glancing around the library like Helio or her parents or Pastor Amelia or </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone </span>
  </em>
  <span>might pop out at her just for talking about any of this. “Did it feel like… an amazing destined experience?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It felt really hot.” Gorgug sounded like he didn’t know what to think. “Which might have been from all the melted metal.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not… warm and comforting and the best place ever to spend the rest of eternity after a whole lifetime of dedication and faith and worship and telling people all about him?” Kristen tried. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what it felt like. I-I’ve never known what any of this is supposed to feel like.” Gorgug ran a hand through his hair, his dark eyes flickering towards her. “What about you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, there was a lot of sunlight.” Kristen began. She could remember almost every second of her experience in heaven down to the most minute detail. Mostly because she’d been running it over and over in her head since it had happened, trying to understand </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>felt so </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>about it. “It was warm, and… there was this guy, Cyrus, and he said it was kind of like a gateway to Helio’s plane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That sounds nice.” Gorgug sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But then I started asking questions, and he got… weird about it. Which is strange because I always thought that heaven was the place where all the questions that didn’t make sense down here would get answered, you know? And it’s supposed to be perfect and everything I’ve ever wanted but…” She hesitated. Oh boy, this was getting dangerously close to blasphemy, and she could feel her heart begin to race just at the thought of it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Vulcan told me that he chose me for a reason because I’m just… special somehow, but, I don’t see it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Silence fell over the two of them for a moment, and one absolutely bonkers, </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>blasphemous idea popped into Kristen’s head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we could switch gods.” She whispered, even quieter than they were already talking considering she was in a library.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They exchanged a long look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that… legal?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not hearing a no.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s how being a cleric… works?” Gorgug scratched at his neck, and at that moment the librarian returned with a small stack of books in her arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, well, on the school side of things we have, uh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Eons of Solace</span>
  </em>
  <span>, which does talk a little bit about the founding of the school. And the autobiography of its original founder, Arthur Aguefort.” She passed over </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Eons of Solace </span>
  </em>
  <span>and a second book, which was remarkably thick and titled </span>
  <em>
    <span>Abracadabra: Look At Me Now: My Life In Magic</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “This one was from the restricted section, I heard it’s quite spicy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m not allowed to read spicy books,” Kristen said, hesitating over the book for a moment before pushing it over to Gorgug. “What happens in it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Arthur Aguefort published this book about a decade before Principal Seacaster dueled him and won control of the school and all his possessions. He went missing shortly afterwards, but the book does include some information on the school itself and some of the faculty that were there at the time, some of which even still work here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah, really?” Kristen asked. “Hasn’t Seacaster been principal for like… three hundred years?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does Principal Seacaster have an autobiography?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh you know elves and such, they can have such long lifespans. And I believe Principal Seacaster has declared that he will never write an autobiography because he plans on never dying and thus will always be around to tell his story himself. And maybe also because he cannot read or write.” The librarian waved a hand loosely, before moving to the rest of the books. “Now these can be for your religious questions-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen chuckled awkwardly, before slowly realising that </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh god she had religious questions. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was questioning religion. Questioning Helio. Oh no. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unaware of her dawning horror, the librarian continued on, pushing three books towards them. “Let’s see, </span>
  <em>
    <span>A People’s History of Fallinel </span>
  </em>
  <span>details quite a number of events from Fallinel’s history, from the perspective of those who were displaced or harmed by crusaders and invaders and such, so I thought that might be interesting. Then </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Solecian Pantheon </span>
  </em>
  <span>has sections on almost every god and goddess that is widely worshipped in Solace, and finally, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Vulcan </span>
  </em>
  <span>is about, well, Vulcan.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pushed </span>
  <em>
    <span>Vulcan </span>
  </em>
  <span>towards Gorgug in particular and the other two in between them. Gorgug picked up his book and turned it over. “Wow. Short title.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve heard he’s not a very wordy god.” The librarian shrugged. “Nor are his followers, it seems.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Gorgug looked heavily down at the book, before slipping it into his backpack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen picked up the other two, a part of her wanting to start reading immediately, and another part wanting to give them back and go home and maybe go to Sun Peak after all. But she put them into her backpack as well, even though they felt heavier than a boulder on her shoulders. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for your help.” She said to the librarian, both of them waving goodbye before leaving the library, their two books on the school still in their hands rather than their backpacks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Neither her nor Gorgug brought up anything they’d spoken about before receiving the books, instead letting an awkward silence overcome them as they grappled with what they’d told the other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh jeez. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen pulled out her crystal, bringing up Prayer Chain and tapping away in hopes of distracting herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: hey guys gorgug and me got some books where are we meeting up</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: Outside the AV room again? </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: then we’ll get caught on the dream crystals </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: so where else could we go???</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: We don’t have very long before next period anyway, there might be no time.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: lets just skip</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: Okay some of us actually care about our education.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: fiiiiiiiiiine dont worry guys we can meet up after school ;) ;) i know the perfect place</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: where?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: the scene of the crime &gt;:) &gt;:)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: what</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: what</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: what</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: dude aren’t you WITH fig right now</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: yeah im still confused</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: wait which crime</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: okay its the diner that johnny spells hangs out at i think hes connected and i know the place i can show u all after school just meet me at the bus stop</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She didn’t give any more details than that, and a few moments later, the bell began to ring. Kristen glanced at Gorgug, who had been reading the messages over her shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Johnny Spells?” She asked. Gorgug simply shrugged. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the end of the school day, Riz met up with the others at the bus stop, very narrowly missing the one that Fig wanted them to catch thanks to Fabian and Kristen having no idea where the stop was, resulting in five minutes of a very confusing phone call.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe neither of you has ever taken the public bus before,” Adaine said, sitting with her legs crossed in between Riz and Gorgug, the three of them facing Kristen, Fabian, and Fig on the other side of the bus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was homeschooled?” Kristen said, shrugging. “I didn’t really need to go anywhere by myself.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would I ever need to take a public bus? That’s why I have a </span>
  <em>
    <span>driver.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Fabian tossed his hands up. “Really, you lot all gave me terrible directions. “Your family has wealth, Adaine, when do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>ever use a public bus?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“When I want to go somewhere </span>
  <em>
    <span>without </span>
  </em>
  <span>my family.” Adaine folded her arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can still use a driver for that,” Fabian said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Anyway-” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Riz cut in. “What diner are we going to and why is it important?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, first of all, it’s called Krom’s, and they have really nice caramel pies,” Fig said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And second,” Fig continued. “It’s where Johnny Spells hangs out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, who is Johnny Spells?” Adaine asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Johnny Spells, tiefling greaser, boyfriend to Sam Nightingale. Has a really fast scooter.” Fig held up a finger for each descriptor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Sam Nightingale?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig huffed. “Well, if you let me </span>
  <em>
    <span>finish, </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’ll tell you. Sam is friends with Penelope, and Sam also didn’t show up to school today, and Penelope doesn’t know why. Suspicious.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Sam and Penelope are the ones we got Ostentatia to spy on yesterday,” Riz added. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You think Johnny has something to do with it?” Gorgug asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shh!” Fig put a finger to her mouth, narrowing her eyes in the direction of the few other people on the bus, who were all doing their best to ignore the gang of teenagers. “We can talk more about it once we get there.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From there, Fabian and Adaine began to bicker about their families' different rules and ideas around who got to use a driver and when, which Riz promptly tuned out because listening to rich people problems made his head spin, instead looking out the window as they drove through Elmville. It was almost the opposite direction that Riz would usually take to go home, through a part of town that he was fairly unfamiliar with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The bus took a bridge over the highway, into an older and not quite downtrodden, but not exactly squeaky clean part of town that Riz was pretty sure he’d never been to. Eventually, Fig pushed a button to announce her intention to stop, leading them all off the bus and in front of a homely diner with flickering neon lights that read ‘Krom’s Diner - 24/7’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ta dah!” Fig announced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, it looks so cozy,” Kristen said, seeming excited. “How do you know this is the place?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because this is the only diner in Elmville on this side of the highway, and it has a garage opposite, which is supposedly where Johnny spends all his time,” Fig said, sticking a thumb over her shoulder to the other side of the road, where Riz could indeed see a garage, scooters, and cars parked outside. “I live around here, I know my stuff.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You go to this diner often?” Riz asked, and Fig shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My mom and I would get some caramel pies as a treat sometimes. But not like… all the time.” She furrowed her brow at the diner for a moment before perking up, looking towards them all. “Come on, let’s go in!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They went inside, some of them claiming a table while others goofed around with a gumball machine for a good five minutes before joining them. A waitress named Yandi came around and asked them if they wanted anything to drink, resulting in another delay as milkshakes were ordered and delivered. Riz didn’t have much money of his own, and as it turned out, Fig had spent most of her pocket money on vague ‘detective things’ recently and Adaine didn’t get pocket money at all, so Fabian offered to cover them, which Riz didn’t hesitate to take him up on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay!” Fig finally announced, slamming one hand on the table before taking a long sip from her milkshake. “Let’s lay out what we know. Ostentatia and Sam Nightingale are missing-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, Ostentatia’s not missing.” Riz piped up. He glanced towards Adaine, before realising she was entirely engrossed in her own milkshake, not even paying attention, though she did already know this particular piece of information. “She’s sick.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, man, really?” Fig groaned, leaning back in her chair. “She’s just sick at home?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” Riz said, digging in his pockets for a scrap of notepaper. “She was in the infirmary because she’s been sick since </span>
  <em>
    <span>yesterday </span>
  </em>
  <span>and hasn’t been well enough to go home.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So that whole part of the investigation was pointless?” Fabian asked. Next to him, Hangman was devouring a stack of hamburger patties. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, something’s weird here. Dwarves usually don’t even catch the flu.” Riz continued. “And Ostentatia’s been totally wrecked for more than twenty-four hours now. The nurse said it was like some kind of magical poison. If it had been anyone but a dwarf, it probably would have killed her.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>got everyone’s attention. Well, everyone except Adaine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Poison? Someone poisoned her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe. Apparently her friends said that the only thing that had been different was that she’d tried a new tea at lunch yesterday.” Riz said, his gaze sliding to Fig, whose eyes widened.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The tea we stole for her!” She gasped. “It was poison?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You guys are the ones who stole that tea?” Fabian asked. “My father was looking forward to that!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then a moment passed, and Fabian almost spat out his drink. “Wait, my father’s tea was </span>
  <em>
    <span>poisoned?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone’s trying to poison the principal?” Gorgug asked, holding his milkshake with both hands and seeming to be chewing the straw from stress. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone’s trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill </span>
  </em>
  <span>my </span>
  <em>
    <span>father?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. And Ostentatia had a note on her. Addressed to me and Fig.” Riz said, dropping the notepaper onto the table and spreading it out with his hands. “I can’t read it though, it’s in Dwarvish.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone leaned forward to take a look at the note, even Adaine seemed to have tuned back into the conversation, though she didn’t seem inclined to start talking anytime soon, her straw hardly having left her mouth since she got her milkshake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can read it,” Fabian said, a little shakily. “There’s a ritual I can do, I just need ten minutes.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“While you do that, we can talk about everything else,” Riz said, looking towards the others. “So Sam’s missing? Actually missing?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“According to Penelope, she didn’t show up to school at all, and didn’t tell her where she was going, which is apparently unusual behaviour for her,” Fig said. “What about Kristen and Gorgug? Did you guys find anything in the library?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well… we have some books.” Kristen said. “Haven’t really had the chance to read them yet? Oh! Apparently some of the faculty have been working at Aguefort for like, centuries, though. So that’s cool.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Principal Seacaster plans on not dying ever, so I’m sure you have nothing to worry about Fabian,” Gorgug added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz tried to imagine working at the same place for centuries. He was pretty sure it would drive him mad eventually. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So we have Johnny </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe </span>
  </em>
  <span>being connected to Sam not showing up to school and someone is trying to kill the principal.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it’s someone who wants to take over the school for themselves,” Adaine suggested. “Maybe one of the teachers wants to be principal.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who would want to be principal of a school?” Fig scoffed. “What a lame job.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Fabian looked up from his ritual, his eyes glowing. “Being a principal is a super cool job!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see how missing girls could have anything to do with killing Principal Seacaster or the corn monster,” Riz said, frowning. Everyone else fell silent, dwelling on the scant clues they’d managed to gather. Maybe Ostentatia’s note would be the key, or maybe it was something totally pointless. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine flagged down Yandi to order another milkshake in the lull, Kristen pulled out her guitar and began playing some silly tune that Riz didn’t recognise, and Riz looked out the windows. Maybe they were just out of their depth, and this was something a bunch of teens shouldn’t be trying to figure out at all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The parking lots of the diner was fairly devoid of anything interesting to look at, so Riz cast his gaze beyond to the garage where Johnny apparently hung out. There was a small group of people gathered outside the garage. Narrowing his eyes, it took a moment for Riz to recognise one of them. But the scooter he was pulling out of a car was quite distinctive.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys! Guys, Johnny’s over there!” He announced, climbing up onto his knees and pressing his face against the glass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Fig exclaimed, fully lunging over Gorgug to get a better look, cupping her hands around her eyes and gasping. “He is!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is Sam there?” Adaine asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see her,” Fig said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you know Johnny Spells?” Kristen asked Yandi, who had been in the middle of taking their new orders. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Johnny Spells? Is he one of those boys over there?” Yandi was a halfling woman, well into middle-age and overall fairly pleasant. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he’s a friend of ours,” Fig said quickly, turning around to face the waitress. “What do you know about him?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, those boys are quite rough and tumble, you know. Quite violent, sometimes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Violent in what way?” Riz asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re quite competitive dancers, I believe.” Violent… dancers?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz’s utter confusion must’ve shown on his face, because Yandi shrugged, before continuing. “They spend days over there practising, you can even hear it from here. Very strange.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re like a dance club?” Gorgug asked, looking thoughtful. “Maybe I should try dancing.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I’m sure they might let you audition,” Yandi said cheerfully. “Any other orders?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, another strawberry milkshake, please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d like a brownie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyone wanna share some crullers with me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I will!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe make those orders to go, Yandi,” Fig said once everyone was finished, looking over towards the garage with a glint in her eyes. “I have a feeling we’ll be leaving soon.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yandi went off to fetch their new orders, and everyone settled back down to business.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do we do about Johnny? What if Sam’s over there?” Kristen asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think it’s a good idea to go over there while his whole gang is there,” Gorgug said, frowning. “They could beat us up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Or </span>
  </em>
  <span>we could be heroes,” Fig said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or we rush in like dumbasses and get ourselves killed like we did yesterday,” Riz said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re all fine now!” Fig exclaimed. “We could save Sam, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>maybe even all the other girls that went missing!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz’s face hardened, his hands curling into fists on the glass. He glanced again out towards the garage. If Sam was in there, if </span>
  <em>
    <span>Penny </span>
  </em>
  <span>was in there, and he didn’t do anything…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t really want to die again,” Gorgug said. “Way too much turmoil.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it would be cool if we could avoid that.” Kristen chuckled awkwardly, looking down at her guitar. “That necromancer kid isn’t even here to resurrect us again.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yesterday sucked,” Adaine grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got it!” Fabian exclaimed suddenly, raising Ostentatia’s note into the air. On either side of him, Riz and Kristen both jolted, and Hangman barked seemingly just to be included. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What does it say?” Fig asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, first of all, Ostentatia is a terrible speller,” Fabian said, pulling out a pen from his jacket. “Pass me some paper.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig immediately ripped out a page from her notepad, and Fabian began scribbling down some words, before turning it around towards the rest of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz leaned towards it, his heart sinking at the very first word. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>PENY JHNY CRISTAL PALYMPSIS</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Penny. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Penny… Johnny… crystal… palympsis? What’s a palympsis?” Kristen asked. At least three crystals whipped out to look it up, though Adaine was the first to call out a definition. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Palimpsest. A writing material used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased… or, something that has diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface.” She frowned at her crystal, before looking back at the others. “What could that mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe someone wiped a crystal a bunch of times, and then put something else inside?” Fabian suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe it’s a different kind of crystal,” Gorgug said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz stared at the note, reading it over and over again, looking for some hidden meaning. But he couldn’t figure anything out. Just that Ostentatia had overheard Penelope and Sam talking about Johnny… and Penny. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked back towards the garage. Johnny Spells and his friends had disappeared inside, and he could almost feel the vibrations of a bass line through the ground. His arms felt heavy like lead, his heartbeat throbbing in the back of his skull. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If </span>
  </em>
  <span>Penny was there- </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He grimaced, before turning towards Fig. “We gotta check it out.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She grinned. “Yes! Come on guys, this is the perfect opportunity!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that moment, Yandi returned with all their orders, in to-go cups and containers for them all. Riz turned towards her, accepting his brownie with thanks. “Uh, Yandi, do you know how long all those tieflings over there usually practise in one session?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it can be hours sometimes,” Yandi said, waving one hand lightly. “They’re very dedicated!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See?” Fig said. “We have plenty of time! Even if we just look around their cars and stuff!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One by one, the others all agreed that at the very least, they could check it out. They paid for all their food and milkshakes, thanking Yandi again before they left before traipsing over the road to the garage. They spread out a little once they got there, staying well away from the garage doors, which weren’t fully closed but instead had a small gap at the bottom, music freely leaking out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz went straight to the car that he’d seen Johnny pull his scooter out of, figuring it belonged to him as well, or at least one of his friends. It was a pretty sick car, black and clearly modified, with all sorts of flame decals along the side. It was a convertible, the roof currently down but the keys nowhere in sight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all spread out, Kristen and Fig getting a closer look at the car and pretending like they weren’t drooling over how cool it was and gushing about how awesome it would be if their families had a car like this and not a boring station wagon/whatever hunk of junk Fig’s mom used when she wasn’t flying on a griffin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian had placed Hangman onto the back of the car, where the dog was pulling various poses while Fabian took pictures on his crystal with a grin. Gorgug and Adaine were poking around the scooters, Gorgug literally poking them with his staff while Adaine observed from a distance, sipping on her takeaway milkshake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz edged close to the garage, carefully listening to the music and conversation happening inside the garage. He heard a lot of counting and movement, the occasional admonishment from someone or a suggestion for a new move, but the main thing was that they were distracted, so Riz crept up to the side of the door, getting on his knees and just </span>
  <em>
    <span>barely </span>
  </em>
  <span>poking his head underneath the garage door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>First of all, those tieflings could really </span>
  <em>
    <span>dance.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Second of all, on a small table barely fifteen feet away from him was a set of car keys, a collection of tea bags, and a scarred, translucent crystal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz stared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then he pulled his head back out again, pressing up against the wall and searching for Fabian. It took a few moments to make eye contact, but finally Fabian looked away from the obnoxiously heroic pose Hangman was making on the back of Johnny’s car to catch his utter death glare, his face crumpling for a moment before becoming full of confusion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz frantically waved him over, and when he was close, jerked him down to his level.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look over there.” He hissed, pointing out the crystal, keys, and tea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian squinted, before inhaling sharply. “Is that the tea my father nearly had?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz shrugged, because the tea was really the least of his concerns right now. “What about the crystal? Can you get it with your magic?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian scoffed, cracking his knuckles. “Pft, that’s beginner level. Just watch.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He made some overly fancy gestures with his hands before the crystal came flying into his hands, smugly handing it to Riz before doing the same thing for the tea bags, and then the keys, presumably just since they were stealing everything else so they might as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They darted over back towards the car so they could stop whispering, Kristen and Fig having noticed their efforts and sidling up to take a look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys… I think this is what the note was talking about.” Riz said, holding the crystal up for everyone in the car to see. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah…” Kristen said. “Is that a palimpsest?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s gotta be a way to find out if there’s anything inside.” Fig mused aloud. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that moment, the music came to a stop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then, there was a shout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” A voice called out, a voice that was definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>one of Riz’s friends/colleagues/teammates. “Johnny! There’s a bunch of kids at your car!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh shit-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz froze, looking down at the possible-palimpsest in his hands, before stuffing it into his pockets. “We gotta go!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In the car!” Fig said, snatching the keys from Fabian’s hands and diving over the door into the driver’s seat. Riz didn’t realise what she was talking about until the engine sputtered and then roared to life. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?!” Riz shouted, while Fabian and Kristen both scrambled into the back seat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Making our exit!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you even know how to drive?!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s never a better time to learn!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I strongly disagree!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Johnny! They’re stealing your car!” There was the creaking sound of garage doors being raised up, multiple voices of shock and anger replacing it. Riz’s ears twitched and fell in dismay, and he jumped into the car, climbing over an irritated Fig to get to the passenger seat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re stealing a car?” Fabian asked, Hangman held tight in his arms as Fig tried to figure out how a hand brake worked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apparently!” Kristen said, turned around in the back. “Adaine! Gorgug! Come on!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug scrambled into the backseat of the car a few moments later, and then Adaine shoved herself into the passenger seat with Riz, slamming the door shut behind her. At the same moment, Fig finally figured out how to get the car to go, lurching forward with a horrific screech of tire against concrete, everyone jerking forward and hitting whatever was in front of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry!” Fig shouted before they peeled away, narrowly avoiding smashing straight into a tree. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, seatbelts, seatbelts, seatbelts-” Riz said, climbing over Adaine to try to reach the seatbelt, but she was leaning out over the door and looking behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re following!” She shouted. Then, a moment later, “Holy shit, those scooters are fast.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do we do?” Gorgug exclaimed, he, Fabian, and Kristen all staring over the back of the car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We have to stop them!” Fabian said, putting Hangman down on the seat, his hands and eyes beginning with glow with silvery light. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gulping, Riz unsheathed his axe from his backpack before dropping the backpack to the floor of the car. Mom was gonna kill him for this. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yeehaw</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. A Good Old-Fashioned Car Chase</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adaine discovers the value of a good driving lesson. Or any driving lesson.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The wind was whipping through Adaine’s hair and thundering in her ears as she stared down an entire gang of at least eight tieflings on supernaturally speedy scooters bearing down on them, some threatening to kill them if they didn’t stop immediately, others threatening to kill them if they stopped long enough for them to catch up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Overall, a lot of murder threats. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” One of the others was screeching, as Fig continued to accelerate, a wild and breathless grin on her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who cares, as long as it’s away from here!” Someone else shouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, I’m gonna throw up.” Adaine covered her mouth, gripping on to the door handle for dear life and squeezing her eyes tight as if that would make it all go away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Incoming!” There was a rushing sound, and Adaine glanced to the right just in time to see a bolt of fire whiz past, scorching the asphalt ahead of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Don’t ruin my car!” Came a faint shout from behind them. “You kids are gonna regret this!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m already regretting it,” Gorgug said, sinking low into his seat with his hands covering his head. “I am regretting so many things.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we can work this all out!?” Kristen shouted, only to squeal and pull her head back in just in time to avoid a burst of acid. Then she immediately stuck her head back up again. “That’s really rude!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does anyone mind helping me out?!” Fabian shouted, the only one among them launching any kind of defense, his hands aglow as he shot silvery-orange Firebolts as quickly as he could conjure them. Hangman was jumping over all of them in the backseat, yapping every now and then and seeming far too excited about this whole thing rather than </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrified. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have anything long-range!” Adaine said, frantically looking for the button in the car that made the roof come back. “We’re too exposed!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, here, take my gun!” Fig reached into her satchel with one hand and pulled out the gun, pushing it towards Adaine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how to fire a gun!” Adaine exclaimed, taking it only so that Fig would get two hands on the wheel again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just point and shoot it!” Fig said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, is the safety off?” Riz asked, poking the gun suspiciously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, I took it off ages ago!” Fig said casually, before bellowing, “CORNER!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without any further warning, Fig turned the steering wheel </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard</span>
  </em>
  <span>, sending them careening around a corner. All of them lurched to the side and Riz fell hard into Adaine’s upper body, knocking the wind out of her chest and hitting her head against the edge of the half-closed window. In the back seats, Fabian fell back onto Gorgug with a thud, while Kristen nearly fell half-out of the car entirely trying to catch Hangman, who </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>go flying out of the car, Gorgug frantically trying to twist around and grab her legs while she shrieked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Save the dog! Save the dog!” Fabian screeched, while Hangman just barked like a madman outside the car in Kristen’s arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long has the safety been off on your gun?!” Riz asked Fig as soon as he’d recovered, ignoring the chaos of the backseats.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since, like, forever, why?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>god-</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In an attempt to stop hearing about how Fig’s terrible idea of gun safety and care was going to kill them all, Adaine turned around to get her head and one arm over the window to avoid having any of her new friends in the crossfire, aiming the gun as carefully as she could. The tieflings were all still in hot pursuit, some having fallen behind after the crazy turn, and obviously trying not to damage the car, but undoubtedly determined. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her first shot went totally wild, though some of the tieflings startled at the gunshot. Her next attempts weren’t much better, but at least the tieflings didn’t want to get too close. More Firebolts from Fabian began to join the assault, and then some brighter, more radiant green flames that must’ve come from Gorgug. Kristen was calling out tieflings for them to aim at, strumming chords on her guitar with each shout. Hangman had not learned from his near-death, still happily bolting all over the seats. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz, with no long-range option of his own, seemed to have decided to take up the position of Fig’s navigator/passenger-seat driver, trying to help her figure out the gears and simultaneously angrily lecturing her on basic gun safety he had picked up from his mother, while Fig was more concerned with figuring out how to turn on the radio.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Johnny’s catching up!” Kristen shouted, gesturing frantically to the side of the car that Adaine wasn’t on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not on my watch!” Riz snarled, climbing over Fig and awkwardly trying to maneuver his axe around to be in some kind of position to strike. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, are you sure you wanna do that, little dude?” Johnny Spells had a smooth voice that sounded like it belonged in the ’80s, which was just weird, but Adaine wasn’t truly paying attention until he kept talking. “I suggest you get this car to </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop </span>
  </em>
  <span>instead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a brief pause, and Adaine glanced to her right just in time to see Riz turn around and launch for the steering wheel, trying to wrestle control away from Fig, kicking her with his legs as he did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! Riz- this is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We gotta stop this car!” Riz shouted, trying to turn the wheel one way while Fig spun it in the other direction. “You’re an extremely reckless driver!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, as if you could do any better!” With the two of them fighting, </span>
  <em>
    <span>neither </span>
  </em>
  <span>were paying attention to the road, which was truly the only way this trip could get any more dangerous.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riz! Stop!” Adaine said, dropping Fig’s gun to the ground and trying to wrap her arms around Riz’s torso to pull him off Fig. But his grip on the steering wheel was deceptively strong, the car jolting and jerking around as Fig struggled to maintain control. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let go! She’s going to kill us all!” Riz let go of one hand to tear at Adaine’s bare arm, ripping deep scratches into it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hissing from pain, Adaine pulled back with everything she had, bracing her legs against the console of the car and ripping Riz’s other hand from the steering wheel. They fell back against the car door again, and Riz tried to squirm out of her grip while Fig righted the car, flicking the volume knob of the radio as a rock song blared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, very appropriate, I think,” Fig said, grinning. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Great. Now they had music to die to. That made it all better. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Car! Car!” Kristen shouted, pointing frantically straight ahead as they drove up to an intersection.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>shit- </span>
  </em>
  <span>hold on!” Fig declared with a wince, before adjusting the gears and turning the car in some horrific half-turn half-drift maneuver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nearly everyone was screaming or shrieking, Adaine holding onto a thrashing Riz for dear life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stop- scratching me-</span>
  <em>
    <span>ow!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adaine yelped. “He bit me!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh that’s so gross,” Fabian said, plastered against one of the backseats with Hangman held tight to his chest. “Snap out of it, Riz!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think he’s possessed!” Kristen said. “Try hitting him!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine tried slapping his hands away, but at that moment Gorgug’s panicked voice cut in. “Guys, the tieflings!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A second later, there was a heavy thud. Adaine stiffened, even Riz paused at the sound, both of them looking behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hahah! Can’t take me down that easy!” A maniacal voice shouted from the back of the car, a feral-looking tiefling crouching on the back with a crazy smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Five teenagers promptly started to scream. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, can’t you do a favour for a fellow tiefling?” Johnny Spells had still managed to keep pace with them, riding up alongside the other side of the car again, this time shouting at Fig. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Never!” Fig was having far too much fun with this, laughing hysterically and cheering as she began to accelerate down a relatively straight and empty piece of road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still held in her arms, Riz froze up, before relaxing, no longer trying to claw her to death. “Adaine?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riz? Are you okay?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. You?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. There’s a guy over there!” Adaine said, letting him go and fumbling to a more or less upright sitting position. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, do one of you two wanna take care of that before he rips us to shreds?” Fabian shrieked, dodging a wild swing from the tiefling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz picked up his axe, appearing disoriented but determined. He climbed over to the back seats, basically stepping over Kristen but quickly engaging him in a series of strikes, both of them missing far more than they hit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking behind them, there were only four tieflings still following them, not including the one that was now on the back of the car. But the struggle between Riz and Fig had cost them some ground, and all of the tieflings were now dangerously close, some coming up along her side of the car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine drew her greatsword, immediately realising that it was going to be very clumsy to wield if she stayed sitting down. If she wanted to be effective… </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was fine. This was fine. She was an awesome fighter, this was fine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gripping the seatbelt with a white-knuckled grip, Adaine began to pull herself up into a kneeling position. Almost immediately she felt herself begin to tip backward, buffeted by the winds, and she had to plaster herself to the car seat to stop it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was terrible, she was going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>die</span>
  </em>
  <span>, this was going to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill her-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing up, she saw Riz crouched low, one hand on the car and the other clumsily swinging his axe at the tiefling, whose hands were alight with fire, trying to punch Riz with a manic grin on his face. Kristen had by now basically wedged herself onto the floor of the car, singing out some kind of song that either was designed to get faster and faster as it went on, or she was just freaking out. Fabian and Gorgug were still trying to attack the other tieflings, while simultaneously giving Riz enough room to manouver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another tiefling scootering only a few feet behind and to the side of the car shouted something, getting a response from his friends before tossing a small fiery object at the car, which Adaine realised moments before impact was actually a lit Molotov cocktail. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If there was still any blood left in her face before, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>gone now, as the cocktail soared overhead and exploded onto the engine. The entire car jolted, Adaine nearly losing her grip on her greatsword as all the others shrieked and the engine erupted into flames. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The car was on fire.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The car was on FIRE. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the back of the car, Riz and the tiefling had both gone scrambling, grabbing onto whatever they could to keep from getting flung off entirely, as Fig jerked the car from side to side, presumably freaking out as much as the rest of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other remaining tieflings were almost neck and neck with them now, and Adaine slashed wildly at one that got close, catching him in the chest and sending him flying off balance, catching a stray Firebolt from Fabian on the way out and rolling to the ground, unmoving. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Had she just killed someone? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh gods, they were killing people. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d nearly killed Goldenhoard yesterday and now she was really, truly killing people. On one hand, they were trying to kill her. On the other hand, that just made it even </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>terrifying. Thick, awful smelling smoke was pouring from the damaged engine, burning her nose and making her eyes water. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then another tiefling came hurtling towards her and she shrieked, lashing out with her greatsword as best she could while holding it with only one hand. The tiefling raised a hand as if to throw something, but rather than another Molotov cocktail, it was a wad of green liquid that splashed onto Adaine’s upper arm, droplets flicking onto her neck and cheek. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Burning acid seared into her skin almost immediately, eating away at the edge of her sleeve. Choking on smoke, Adaine swiped with her greatsword, catching nothing but air and letting go of the seatbelt to cover her mouth, biting her tongue as the acid continued to burn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>On the roof, Riz let out a shout before shoving the top of his axe into the chest of the tiefling he was fighting, knocking him off the car and splattering to the ground. There were still three tieflings after them, including Johnny Spells, and Adaine could hardly see anything for the smoke.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“HOLD ON!” She heard Fig scream, which at this point Adaine had learned usually meant ‘something even </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>terrible is about to happen’. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine suspected that Fig would try to pull another sharp turn, and for a few moments that seemed to be what she was doing, the car beginning to drift to the side. But something shuddered, and Adaine heard horrific clanks and scrapes of metal and tires on asphalt, a great thud of </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>in the engine. Then the awful, unforgettable sensation of the car beginning to lift off of its wheels. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz went flying first with almost nothing to stop him, veering off and rolling off the side of the car and out of sight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine fell to the side, swerving too quickly for her to get her bearings in time. Instinct took over, twisting around in mid-air to land in the best sort of combat roll she could manage, landing hard on one leg and tumbling, the asphalt tearing up whatever bare skin wasn’t already burned or scratched. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her head spun, a hundred sounds all merging into one, pain morphing in a single amorphous sensation that spread throughout her entire body as she scraped to a stop on the road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was she dead? Was death supposed to be filled with pain? No, that didn’t seem right.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was alive then. Great. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Where were the others? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blinking smoky tears from her eyes she tried to push herself up from the ground, leaning on her greatsword for support.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The car was fully flipped upside-down, glass scattered on the road. Adaine could see Fabian half-hanging out of the wreck, moaning with his eyes screwed shut. She could see one of Kristen’s hands fumbling for something inside the car, and she was pretty sure she could see Fig and Gorgug in there too, but it was impossible to tell what kind of state they were in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing around, she saw Riz curled in a ball off the side of the road, clutching one arm tight to his chest and reaching for his axe with the other. Two of the remaining tieflings had been too close, caught up in the chaos as well, lying motionless over their scooters close to the wreckage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which left only Johnny, who had pulled to a stop in front of the carnage, an expression of horrified disbelief on his face as Adaine slowly pulled herself to her feet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My car… what did you do to my </span>
  <em>
    <span>car?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a light bark, and Hangman burst through the settling smoke, running a couple of feet in front of Fabian and growling in Johnny’s direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You kids-” Johnny glanced around, noticing Adaine standing up, about ten feet away. “You’re gonna pay for this.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He reached into a pocket for an object and flicked his wrist, a small blade ticking out, and he began to walk towards her. Adaine’s eyes widened, her hands moving to grip her greatsword tighter, and Johnny broke into a run, sprinting towards her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One well-placed strike was all it took, and Johnny fell to the side, his blade scattering to the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Adaine stood there breathing heavily, white noise humming in her ears, before she looked back towards the car. “Guys!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dropping her greatsword, she ran towards them, waving away smoke with her hands. Fabian had begun the process of pulling himself out of the wreck so she ignored him, running around to the other side. Gorgug had been able to pull himself out as well, helping Kristen climb out, so Adaine went to Fig, finding her lying across the mangled roof in a daze.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fig?” Adaine asked nervously. “Fig, can you move?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did we win?” Fig’s voice was soft.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think so,” Adaine said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did we look awesome?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> awesome,” Kristen said, coughing up smoke while Gorgug awkwardly dragged her through the shattered window.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine helped Fig climb out of the smoking, fiery wreck, all of them getting well away from it and settling on the side of the road close to Riz. It didn’t explode, much to Fig, Fabian and Kristen’s disappointment, and Gorgug carefully doled out some healing after they tried to figure out who was most hurt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz got some of it, having cracked a bone or something after being flung from the car on top of other injuries, and Adaine got some on her acid burns, which didn’t take the pain away entirely, but faded it to a much more manageable sting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then they were left on the road with a bunch of bodies, a wrecked car, and some scooters. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you seriously looting a body? Right now?” Adaine asked Fig, who despite possibly having a minor concussion, seemed ready to do it all again. She was poised over Johnny Spells’ body, nudging it with her boot a couple of times to make sure he was dead before beginning to rifle through his pockets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There could be clues!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me if you find any more palimpsests,” Riz said grumpily, holding the one they’d found in his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are we sure that’s a palimpsest?” Gorgug asked, poking it warily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can check.” Fabian held up a hand, resting his cheek on the other one. “Here, gimme the thingy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz looked at him for a moment before reluctantly handing the crystal over, and Fabian got to work preparing a spell. Adaine stood up, walking over to where Fig was busy desecrating bodies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anything interesting?” She asked, folding her arms tight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A whole bunch of stuff! He’s got two crystals, check it-” Fig held up two crystals, one noticeably newer and cheaper than the other. “And this little black book thing, and some gum, and I’m like ninety percent sure this is a shiv.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think that’s just a sharp stick that was on the road,” Adaine said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Or</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it’s a shiv.” Fig shrugged, tucking the stick into her satchel anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine glanced around, noticing the blade that Johnny had tried to attack her with, realising it was actually a switchblade, black and red flame decals around it. She picked it up, and Fig noticed immediately, perking up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, what’s that?” Adaine passed it over, and Fig turned it over in her hands, initial excitement quickly giving way to confusion. “Huh.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Adaine asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I…” Fig’s voice trailed off, and she frowned at the switchblade. “I’m… not sure. Uh, Adaine, do you mind checking out his scooter? I’m gonna get a closer look at this.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing over her shoulder to see Fabian and the others still hunched over the maybe-palimpsest, Adaine figured they all had a right to be a little weird right now, walking over to Johnny’s scooter, which was also decorated with black and red with flame decals. Big fan of red and black with flame decals, this Johnny guy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as her hand touched the handle, a buzzing burst of static electricity seemed to jump from the scooter to her hand, and Adaine drew back with a gasp. Looking around, no one else seemed to have noticed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing else happened, and after a moment Adaine hesitantly went to pick the scooter, and again there was a smaller buzz of energy, rushing through her fingertips as soon as she touched it. In the back of her mind, she felt a low rumbling, almost like a ribbiting vibration. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Immediately, Adaine dropped it again, and this time Fig did notice, glancing her way and casually tucking the switchblade into her pocket rather than her satchel. “Adaine?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh- I think something weird is happening with the scooter.” She said. Fig walked up, curious. “When I touched it, it shocked me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without missing a beat, Fig picked it upright, and even though Adaine was watching her every movement, she didn’t react at all. No jolt, no surprise, not even her eyes widening a little. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I… don’t feel anything,” Fig said, looking up at Adaine. “Are you sure?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing?” Adaine took the scooter from Fig, and almost instantly the rumbling started again. It had startled her at first, but now that she was focusing on it more, it wasn’t very frightening. It seemed almost… welcoming. Like saying hello. “Oh, I think I’m losing my mind.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think the scooter is trying to communicate with me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine felt like she was being very serious when she said that, but Fig just stared at her, before breaking into an absolutely gleeful grin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? What’s it saying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the same time, the scooter began to vibrate in her hands, it’s small motor beginning to rev. Fig clapped her hands together. “Oh my gosh! Look at it!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine’s mouth dropped open in horror. “What is it doing- what’s it doing?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get on it! See what happens when you get on it!” Fig bounced up and down before jumping on the scooter herself. “Come on, Adaine!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, carefully, Adaine put one foot on the scooter behind Fig, then the other. Almost as soon as she was balanced, the scooter took off, faster than any motorised scooter should really be capable of going. They zoomed around in some loose circles, Fig cheering the whole way, before stopping closer to where the others were. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What in the world was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fabian asked, all of them staring at the scooter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine stepped off the scooter. She could still feel the low rumbling in the back of her head, warm and comforting. She’d never felt anything like it. When she took her hands off the scooter it stayed upright, and the rumbling faded a little but not entirely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This scooter is my new best friend.” She said bluntly. “It’s mine now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It drove itself! It’s amazing!” Fig exclaimed, waving her hands wildly in Adaine and the scooter’s direction. “But </span>
  <em>
    <span>only </span>
  </em>
  <span>for Adaine!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, there was a magic scooter up for grabs? And I was here staring at a crystal?” Fabian groaned, and Adaine couldn’t help but crack a grin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aelwyn’s gonna be so jealous.” She muttered under her breath, already imagining it. She was definitely going to have to paint it first, though. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw man, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>want a magic scooter,” Kristen said, her face falling before looking over to Gorgug. “Do you think Vulcan could make a magic scooter?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Scooters </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>mostly made of metal,” Gorgug said with a shrug. “So he could probably make a magic scooter. Then keep it in his forge alone forever and no one would ever use it. Forever. Alone. Surrounded by projects but never satisfied.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A beat passed, everyone staring at Gorgug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dude,” Riz said, resting a single hand on Gorgug’s shoulder. “I think dying messed you up.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Adaine got back on her new scooter. “Hey, does anyone wanna see if I can do a trick?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A minute or so later, Fig pointed out a car approaching them, and they all suddenly remembered they were hanging out at a crime scene surrounded by dead bodies, promptly freaking the fuck out before Kristen realised that not only was it </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>a police car, but it was the same car they had nearly run into during the chase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then they freaked out because ‘what if it was a bunch of criminals out to kill them for nearly hitting their car, it could happen, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fabian-</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ until it came to a stop and, rather than police officers </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>criminals looking for blood, an unassuming looking halfling man dressed in a post officers outfit climbed out of the car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, this sure looks like a bit of a pickle!” He said with a chuckle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We didn’t start it!” Fig declared with her hands up, even though they absolutely had by sneaking into Johnny’s car in the first place. “We were attacked first!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my goodness.” The halfling said. “Don’t worry, we saw all those tieflings chasing you. My wife and I, we wanted to make sure you were all alright.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine glanced uneasily at the others to see how they were reacting to this, one foot on her scooter just in case. Kristen and Gorgug both seemed relieved at the sight of a seemingly pleasant adult, Fabian was still sulking over not getting a magical scooter, and Riz and Fig both seemed suspicious, but too exhausted to do anything about it just yet. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s your wife?” Okay, well apparently Fig always had the energy to be suspicious of people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She’s in the car with our kids.” The halfling said brightly, gesturing towards the car. “We were just on our way home from getting ice cream.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, we nearly ran over a whole family,” Kristen whispered, horrified.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>, because of my excellent driving.” Fig planted her hands on her hips, fixing Kristen with a frown. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I give it a three out of ten at </span>
  <em>
    <span>best</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Fabian said, holding his head in his hands with a pout. “And considering the car flipped over, I think that’s more than generous.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you kids need a lift anywhere? I imagine it won’t be too much longer before police turn up. We can drop you off somewhere.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug tentatively raised a hand. “Can you drop us off wherever you got ice cream at?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, sure!” The halfling said happily, poking his head back into his car. “You hear that kids? Double ice cream!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were muffled cheers from inside the car, and everyone else was won over by the potential of ice cream, standing up if they weren’t already and making sure there wasn’t anything important they were leaving behind at the scene of the crime.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll ride my scooter.” Adaine said, watching the others begin to try to fit themselves into the halfings’ already mostly-full car. “I can keep up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Adaine, can I ride with you?” Kristen bounced up, holding her guitar, which was scuffed and had one noticeable scorch mark but was still in one piece. “It looks like so much fun!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sure,” Adaine said. Kristen beamed and climbed on behind her, whooping and hollering as they followed the car to the ice cream parlour. The ribbiting in the back of her mind created a warm, comforting vibration, settling in like it was always meant to be there, and Adaine found herself smiling. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i love these kids so much</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Ice Cream Good Also ACAB</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fig takes a closer look at all of her goodies. Riz is emo.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Twenty minutes later, Fig and the rest of Detention Squad (she was workshopping names, she’d think of something) were perched on the curb outside the ice cream parlour, watching Adaine do tricks in the parking lot on her new magic scooter and shouting out suggestions at her while Hangman chased her as quickly as his tiny legs would allow, yapping what appeared to be extravagant calls for a race or a duel if Fabian’s bewildered face was any indication.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, jeez, I forgot to tell my parents I wasn’t coming home on the bus.” Gorgug winced next to her, looking down at his crystal. “Two missed calls.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should probably let them know you’re alright,” Kristen said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You did die yesterday.” Riz pointed out, and Gorgug’s face fell even further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They’re gonna be so worried…” He began tapping away at his crystal. “Will you guys’ parents be alright?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told my parents I was going to be counselling some students about Helio.” Kristen said proudly. Fig leaned forwards to get a better look at her, sucking on her ice cream spoon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You lied to your parents?” She asked, smirking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen nodded for a moment before abruptly stopping, the blood draining from her face before whispering in a horrified voice. “I bore false witness for </span>
  <em>
    <span>real.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Satan is corrupting me as we speak.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me know if he starts talking to you, he probably knows </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>the demons.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a beat of silence before Fabian cleared his throat far louder than necessary. “Well </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>parents can’t tell </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>what to do.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig grinned in Fabian’s direction, puffing her chest out. “My mom’s at work </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>she can’t tell me what to do.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Fabian pumped his arms, high-fiving her enthusiastically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey Adaine!” Gorgug called out, and Adaine scootered over, skidding to a stop and motioning for Riz to pass over her ice cream that she had left with him. A few moments later, Hangman dragged himself over as well, flopping down at Fabian’s feet. “Are your parents gonna be worried you aren’t home yet?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My parents won’t be worried until the second I get home and they can lecture me about my existence, which they will do regardless, so whatever,” Adaine said nonchalantly, before noticing them all looking at her. “What?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhhh-” Gorgug stammered for a moment, before looking down at his crystal and standing up. “Anyway, I’m gonna go tell my parents I’m not dead.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna go get more ice cream,” Riz said, climbing stiffly to his feet and stretching out his limbs. “God, remind me never to get in a car with Fig as the driver again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Fig threw up her hands, scowling. “I think I did pretty great considering the circumstances.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“None of us died, so I think it’s an improvement upon yesterday.” Adaine said, sitting down on the curb next to a Kristen that seemed to still be processing her latest slew of sins. “But if we keep getting into fights every day I’m pretty sure I’ll end up forgetting what it’s like not to have aches and bruises.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>sign up for adventuring school.” Fabian pointed out, before pausing. “Though I did not imagine the adventure would come so quickly.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s barely even begun.” Fig said, as Riz walked back with another cup of ice cream. “Riz, you still have the palimpsest, right? Did we figure out if it was a palimpsest or not?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is.” Fabian nodded firmly. “There’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> inside and I can’t tell what, but it’s a palimpsest.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz pulled the crystal out of his pocket, holding it up so they could see. Gorgug had rejoined them by now as well, the six of them sitting side by side and leaning forwards to see one another. “There’s someone inside, I’m sure of it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sam?” Adaine suggested. “You think she could really be in there?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or Penny.” Fig said before taking a spoonful of ice cream. Riz shot her a look, and she shrugged her shoulders. Was it supposed to be a secret? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who’s Penny?” Kristen asked, raising a hand. “There’s so many people involved in this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Penny is one of the missing girls.” Riz said with an exasperated sigh. “She’s my babysitter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How old are you exactly?” Fabian asked, one eyebrow raised. Riz shot him a withering glance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Riz.” Adaine said, hesitantly patting him on the shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s a whole bunch of missing girls, aren’t there?” Gorgug asked. “They went missing all summer.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s four of them.” Riz said. “Five now, if Sam’s one of them.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean Johnny Spells was kidnapping them and putting them all in palimpsests?” Adaine asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe. But then where are the other palimpsests?” Fig said. “And why was Penelope acting so suspicious?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, if she was suspicious about Johnny, turns out she had reason to be.” Fabian said. “Maybe she didn’t have anything to do with it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But Ostentatia’s note mentioned palimpsests.” Riz said. “Penelope or Sam or both must have known </span>
  <em>
    <span>something.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of Ostentatia,” Fabian said bitterly, digging in his pocket before pulling out a small clump of teabags. “At least now we know who tried to kill my father. Even if it doesn’t explain </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>the tea got to his mug in the first place.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you can fit multiple people in one palimpsest.” Kristen said, poking the crystal with a finger. “They could all be hanging out in there having a big kidnapping party.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm.” Fig frowned, upending her satchel with one hand so that all the evidence she’d collected in there fell out. “There’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>got </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be more answers than questions here.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, okay, Fig, this is just a sharp stick.” Adaine said, picking up the shiv that she had found on the ground. Fig snatched it from her hands, looking at it closely. Small, sharp, brown, wooden- okay, it was a stick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe so, dear Adaine.” Fig tossed the stick over her shoulder. “Anywaymovingonimmediately look at all these other clues!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shuffled through all the other clues that she had collected, moving them out to where everyone could see. “Two crystals, a book, and some gum.” She said, before remembering something else. “Oh, and he had this, too.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She pulled the red and black switchblade from her pocket, turning it over in her hands before putting it on the ground with everything else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, watermelon flavour.” Kristen picked up the gum. “Wait, is this evil magic gum?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold up everybody.” Fabian held up his hands, a smug grin on his face. “It’s wizard time.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He picked up the switchblade first, resting it down in front of him and pulling out his massive crystal orb from his backpack, beginning to draw silvery sigils above the switchblade with his fingers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone watched him for a few seconds in silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How long is this gonna take?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian looked up, his eyes glowing. “Ten minutes. For each item.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a collective groan, and Fabian pouted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have enough spell slots!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I doubt </span>
  <em>
    <span>gum </span>
  </em>
  <span>is gonna be anything exciting, so don’t bother with that,” Riz said, jabbing a thumb in Kristen’s direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s still some left,” Kristen said, her voice trailing off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kristen, if you want the gum you can have the gum.” Adaine said, picking up the newer-looking of the two crystals.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh no, my parents warned me about peer pressure.” Kristen said, already unwrapping some of the gum and popping it into her mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig picked up the other crystal, tapping at it a few times before a screen popped up. “Ugh, it’s got a passcode on it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This one does too.” Adaine reported.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Johnny had a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot </span>
  </em>
  <span>of dance rehearsals planned.” Gorgug mused, flicking through pages of the black book, while Fabian grumbled over the switchblade. “And he liked tea, apparently.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Fig tilted her hand, making a grabbing motion with her hands until Gorgug passed the book over to her. It seemed to be some kind of planner, and Gorgug was right, there </span>
  <em>
    <span>were </span>
  </em>
  <span>a lot of dance rehearsals scheduled, and performances. Dude had been dedicated to his craft. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But there were also events listed as ‘Tea Time’. Most of them had already passed, but there was one that was scheduled for the future, on the last Friday of that month, unlike the relatively strictly scheduled dance rehearsals, which were planned many many months in advance. “A clue…” Fig mused to herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Care to share with the class?” Adaine asked, and Fig glanced up, seeing everyone but Fabian looking at her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Johnny’s been doing something called ‘Tea Time’, but there’s no rhyme or reason to when it happens as far as I can tell. Almost as if Johnny doesn’t write it down until it’s only a couple weeks away, as if to stop anyone else from finding out about them.” She flicked to the next few pages. “Woah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s… codes? I think? A whole bunch of numbers and letters, but almost all of them are crossed out.” Fig narrowed her eyes, turning the page again. “Oh, and crystal numbers, and names! Sam’s here! And Penny, and-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?!” The book was snatched from her hands mid-sentence, and by the time Fig blinked, Riz (the culprit) was already burying his nose into it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at it for a moment, before suddenly seeming to go an even deeper shade of green. He pulled the closest backpack towards him, burying his face into it and muffling a scream.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of pure silence, Gorgug began awkwardly putting him on the back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sam Nightingale, Penny Luckstone, Danielle Barkstock, Antiope Jones and Katja Cleaver.” Adaine read aloud from the book, Riz having dropped it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They must be all the missing girls.” Kristen said, one cheek obviously stuffed full of gum and ice cream. “Johnny must’ve kidnapped </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of them.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But why? And what was he gonna do with them?” Fig wondered aloud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stuff them into palimpsests?” Kristen shrugged her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of palimpsests, what are we gonna do with the one we have now?” Adaine asked. “Riz? You okay there, buddy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The backpack </span>
  <em>
    <span>slowly </span>
  </em>
  <span>slid down to reveal the top half of Riz’s face, his ears pinned back against the side of his head. When he spoke, it was both muffled and through tightly gritted teeth. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Fine.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine blinked at him for a moment, her mouth opening and closing again before her eyes flickered away. “Uh… okay.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You got that palimpsest, right?” Fig asked, not to be deterred from their biggest clue thus far. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz grumbled into the backpack, one hand patting the ground beside him before he picked up the palimpsest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great. We gotta find a way to open it, or figure out what’s inside, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>something.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fig declared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The police might know what to do with it.” Gorgug suggested, and Fig scrunched up her nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But if we give it to the police then they won’t want </span>
  <em>
    <span>us </span>
  </em>
  <span>investigating anymore.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And that’s if you trust the police to be able to do a good job investigating it themselves.” A new voice joined in, and all at once six sets of eyes (minus Fabian, plus Hangman) turned to the family of halflings that were sitting on the curb close by, the kids happily digging in and the parents beaming innocently at them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The father of the group continued, his tone unnervingly chipper. “Well, there’s just no way to know for sure if they’ll actually pursue the problem with all the resources and effort it deserves, you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Have you been listening the whole time?” Adaine asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we just heard bits and pieces. Good ice cream, isn’t it?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a quiet chorus of agreements. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why do you have so many opinions on the police?” Fig raised one eyebrow. “Who even </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we’re the Cubby’s!” The halfling said. “I’m Bud, this is my wife Daisy, and our kids, Jason, Milly, and Peter. And you know, we just have an awareness of the history of the police as an institution and how they act in society at large both now and in the past.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a long pause as all of them tried to reconcile the soft-faced, beaming faces in front of them with what seemed like a very well-informed opinion on the state of law enforcement in their country. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then Fig processed that Bud had actually been </span>
  <em>
    <span>agreeing </span>
  </em>
  <span>with her, and she decided it hardly mattered. “He’s right! We can’t trust the </span>
  <em>
    <span>police </span>
  </em>
  <span>with this, they’ll never figure it out!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And </span>
  <em>
    <span>we </span>
  </em>
  <span>can?” Kristen asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We already found one palimpsest, didn’t we? The police have been trying to find the missing girls since, what, July?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mid-June, actually.” Riz grumbled, having left the backpack to the side but now sitting with his hands wrapped around his knees, frowning deeply. “Since Katja went missing.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s almost three months. And we did better than them in two days.” Fig folded her arms smugly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We got lucky.” Adaine furrowed her brow, swirling her ice cream spoon in her cup. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Warlock!” Fabian shouted out suddenly, one hand shooting up in the air with the switchblade held tight. Nearly everyone else flinched or fell backwards in surprise, having almost forgotten he was there, hunched over his silver runes with Hangman in between his legs, a grouchy expression on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was a warlock!” Fabian announced proudly, before looking towards the Cubby’s. “Are they part of the group now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, we’re just here to offer advice,” Bud said cheerfully. “And a ride home if any of you need it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I like them.” Gorgug piped up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I could use a ride home.” Kristen murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... anyway, are they gonna go, or are we just saying everything while they’re right here?” Fabian continued, pointing at them with his thumb. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You won’t have to worry about us telling anyone anything, we’ll take it to our graves.” Bud promised solemnly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riiiiight... “ Fabian let his voice trail off before picking up again, clearing his throat. “In any case, Johnny was a warlock. Hence why there was all the acid throwing and fire and mind control, I guess. This thing was his phylactery.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened his mouth to continue, before seeing the four blank faces staring at him. Only Adaine seemed to recognise the word at all, and the Cubby’s had mostly turned to their own family conversation, only tangentially listening in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s like his link to his patron. A symbol of their connection, a sort of physical source of his powers. Without it, he’d be far less powerful.” Fabian turned the switchblade over in his hands. “You know, if he wasn’t already dead.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So who is his patron?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Some dude named Gorthalax the Insatiable, according to the spell.” Fabian shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The spell tells you all that?” Kristen asked, her eyes wide, and Fabian puffed out his chest grinning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah. Identify is awesome, it’s like a super-smart voice in my head that tells me everything I need to know!” He announced. “Basically it’s amazing, and I’m amazing for casting it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Woah.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I should become a wizard.” Gorgug mused aloud, he and Kristen the only ones to have been suitably impressed by Fabian’s bragging, Adaine and Riz both rolling their eyes while Fig had stopped paying attention like three sentences ago, after Fabian had said the name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorthalax the Insatiable… where had she heard that name before?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s a devil.” She whispered as realisation dawned. Then, louder, more excited, “He’s a devil!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think most warlocks </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>make pacts with demons or devils, so yeah, that tracks,” Adaine said, but Riz had narrowed his eyes at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What does that mean to you?” He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well- nothing to do with the missing girls. Or what happened in the cafeteria yesterday.” Fig stammered. “But- I’ve heard his name before.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where from?” Kristen asked innocently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig opened her mouth, only to snap it shut again. She’d already told Riz about her search for her father, but to tell everyone else all at once felt… not scary, but unappealing on a number of levels she couldn’t identify. Most likely they wouldn’t understand. He’d never been around, he’d apparently never made an effort to connect with her, why should she care? In truth, she wasn’t sure she had an answer to that question. So if she didn’t tell people about it, it wouldn’t be asked. She’d only told Riz because she’d at least been relatively certain he wouldn’t ask too many weird questions. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In an instant, she suddenly realised that she’d hardly thought about her father, </span>
  <em>
    <span>or </span>
  </em>
  <span>her search for him since the battle in the cafeteria, except for when she’d told Riz about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’d hoped to go to Aguefort to find clues, but after only two days she was already getting distracted from her greatest quest by another case entirely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of a sudden, her face felt hot, the curious eyes of the others like needles stabbing into her skin. “Nowhere! You wouldn’t understand anyway!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She swept all the evidence that had been placed back on the ground by the others into her satchel and stood up. Flicking one braid over her shoulder, she huffed, brushing down her skirt and announcing far louder than necessary. “I have to go. The truth waits for no one and- and I can’t get distracted!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For good measure she kicked at Gorgug’s metal staff as if it had been in her way, throwing her empty ice cream container to the ground and promptly sprinting out of the parking lot. She knew where the closest bus stop was, she could catch a bus and head home and do some more work on her lists of demons and devils that were known to have left the Nine Hells sometime in the last few decades.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she couldn’t just abandon this case either. Her arms itched as she walked, and she glanced over her shoulder, Basrar’s slowly disappearing around corners. After a moment, she realised she’d never grabbed the switchblade from Fabian, and she cursed under her breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No. It would be fine. Fabian wouldn’t throw it away or anything equally as stupid, she could still work both cases. She just had to manage her time. Split her resources evenly. She could do this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorthalax the Insatiable. Perhaps this was even an opportunity to crack two cases with one clue.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was weird.” Kristen said, the rest of them looking at the empty space where Fig had disappeared. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was that all about?” Adaine asked, her eyebrows pinched together. “Did we say something wrong?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think demon and devil talk hit a nerve.” Riz said quietly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because she’s a tiefling?” Fabian tilted his head curiously. Riz just shrugged in response. He was pretty sure he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>know exactly why, but based on what had just happened, he didn’t think Fig would want him to spread it around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what are we gonna do now?” Gorgug asked. “We have the palimpsest, and the… phylacty thing, and all that other stuff.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, this isn’t going to be very useful to anyone with its owner dead.” Fabian held up the switchblade. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should figure out who or what’s inside the palimpsest. If it’s one of the missing girls, we can get her out and maybe she knows where all the others are.” Adaine said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just wondering how the kidnapping all connects to the cafeteria thing or the poison that got Ostentatia.” Kristen said. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Is </span>
  </em>
  <span>it connected?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were shrugs all around. Fig was definitely the most enthusiastic among them when it came to linking up all the scattered ‘clues’ they’d found. With her gone, Riz certainly didn’t feel like picking up the slack. He felt more like going home and sleeping for ten hours straight until his mother got home and tried to convince him to get some sunshine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about that Biz kid? He might know how to work a palimpsest.” Fabian suggested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would he? Is it like technology?” Gorgug did not seem particularly enthused with </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>idea, nor did Adaine or Kristen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s worth a shot.” Fabian said, before sighing. “In any case, I need to get home and get my uniform cleaned. Again.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>you have a uniform?” Kristen asked. “You can wear normal clothes, ya know.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that.” Fabian huffed, scooping Hangman up with one arm and looping his backpack over one shoulder with the other. “It’s about professionalism.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought it was about copying your dad.” Adaine said lightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not.</span>
  </em>
  <span> You’re wearing a uniform too!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not the one with a blazer and tie.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m not the one repping an entirely different school!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, uh, Mr. Cubby, sir, are you heading towards Little Branch, by any chance?” Gorgug spoke up suddenly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh sure, we can take you there. What about the rest of you, any of you need a lift?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, I don’t live too far from here, can I come?” Kristen asked sheepishly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely not, I can call a car,” Fabian grumbled, pulling out his crystal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m good.” Riz said, and Adaine mumbled a similar platitude. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? It’s no trouble!” Bud said, and Riz just shook his head. “Alright then, have a good day kids!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen and Gorgug both piled into the Cubby’s car with vague promises to see them all again at school the next day. Fabian walked away to talk on his crystal, while Adaine picked up her new scooter again, and Riz slowly realised that it was going to be a long walk to home from here. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you actually need a ride?” He hadn’t expected Adaine to speak up, and when he looked at her, she looked away, one foot on the scooter and ready to ride away. “I mean, I don’t know where you live so that might be weird, I don’t know-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Ballaster.” Riz said. “Across the train tracks.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s pretty far from here,” Adaine said, rubbing one of her wrists. “I live in Clearbrook, I could take you part of the way.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need to do that,” Riz said quickly, but the thought of turning down </span>
  <em>
    <span>another </span>
  </em>
  <span>free ride actually made his stomach turn a little. He may have been healed up a little after their disastrous joyride, but he was far from healthy. And of the entire group, Adaine had thus far proven herself mostly reasonable and relatively pleasant to be in the vicinity of as long as Fabian wasn’t talking anywhere close by. “I mean- if you don’t mind, it-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no, it’s fine,” Adaine spoke just as quickly, her gaze flickering over towards Fabian before locking back on Riz. “Ready to go?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a little awkward, and Riz couldn’t tell how much of that was from him, Adaine, or their entire situation in general. Most likely a mix of all three. He held onto her backpack while she drove, the scooter absolutely zooming down the streets. Once they got over Marigold River they slowed down a little so Riz could start giving directions once they got close to somewhere he recognised, eventually pulling to a stop once they started heading away from Adaine’s way home so they could separate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you tomorrow, I guess,” Adaine said. “And, uh, sorry about Penny. I think I said that already before, but-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Riz said, before she could say anything else about it. “Thanks. For the ride.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right. You’re welcome.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“See you tomorrow,” Riz said. Adaine nodded once before scootering off, quickly disappearing around a corner out of sight, leaving Riz alone for the rest of the walk home. Not as exhausting as it would’ve been if he’d been walking the whole way, but undeniably unpleasant. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The apartment was empty when he finally got there, and he dropped his axe and backpack on the ground before rummaging through the disorganised kitchen drawers for the bandages and bandaids they kept for times like these. It wasn’t the first time Riz had had to patch himself up because he either refused to let his mom do it, or she was at work, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After slapping bandaids on all the scrapes and cuts he’d gotten from sliding on asphalt (his hoodies and jeans hadn’t gotten away without a few holes either), and wrapping a bandage around the largest of the cuts that hadn’t been fully healed by Gorgug, he finally flopped down on his bed, pulling out the palimpsest and holding it above him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The single biggest clue to Penny’s whereabouts since she’d gone missing, in his hands. Perhaps she was trapped inside the crystal at this very moment. What if she could look out? Even if it wasn’t Penny, was whoever was trapped inside looking out at him, relieved that they’d been found? He wondered what they might think of the group's conversation at Basrar’s. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After another hour or two, his mother came home, weary after another long day on her bewildering work schedule. She was in the apartment for all of three seconds before her eyes narrowed, immediately zooming in to the bandaids on Riz’s face and hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” She asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh-” Riz sat up, shoving the palimpsest inside his pocket. He trusted his mother, of </span>
  <em>
    <span>course </span>
  </em>
  <span>he trusted his mother… but Fig hadn’t been wrong when she said that the police as a whole had been woefully incompetent when it came to solving this case. If he showed his mom, there was no way she’d let him keep hold of the palimpsest. “Barbarian class.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They don’t heal you if you get hurt?” Sklonda walked over to him, leaning over and reaching out a hand to look closer, but Riz pulled back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s fine, Mom, they’re just scratches. I don’t need healing for that.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sklonda frowned, getting as close of a look to the injuries as Riz could get, and he could tell that she suspected something, but she didn’t press further. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How was work?” Riz asked, and he knew that she’d possibly only get more suspicious from the obvious deflection, but he was willing to risk it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She exhaled slowly. “Hectic. Apparently there was drama on the west side of town with some cars and a gang of tieflings… it’s been a bizarre couple of days at the precinct.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds intense,” Riz said, sliding off the bed and walking to go pick up his backpack so his mother wouldn’t see the sheepishness on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but you don’t need to worry about it.” If only she knew. “How was school? Your new friends doing well after yesterday?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah, they’re fine.” Riz shrugged. Friends. They’d survived </span>
  <em>
    <span>two </span>
  </em>
  <span>deadly battles together now, he was pretty sure he could comfortably call them friends. “Remarkably enthusiastic about future battles.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, his mother didn’t ask any more probing questions, happily distracted during dinner by Riz’s short stories about the non-illegal things he’d been doing at school, his new adventuring party, his teachers. She went to sleep long before he did, and when he woke up in the morning she was already gone back to work. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The palimpsest was a heavy weight in his pocket on the way to school. Fig infiltrated his barbarian class again as enthusiastic as ever, stubbornly refusing to confirm or deny whether it was because she had yet to locate the rogue class or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jace Stardiamond, the sorcery teacher, </span>
  <em>
    <span>also </span>
  </em>
  <span>infiltrated his barbarian class again. Riz began to wonder how much of his class was </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>made up of barbarians.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had to decide what they were going to do with the palimpsest and everything else, but with the surveillance crystals fully set up in the school by now, they weren’t about to talk about it openly. Kristen’s Prayer Chain was turning out to be far more useful than Riz would have thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: Are there any other options besides Biz? </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: He can’t be </b>
  <b>
    <em>that </em>
  </b>
  <b>bad</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: he found me in the hallways this morning to ask if i wanted to join the AV club again even tho i already said no and i know helio says not to judge people but also… yikes</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: my parents are pretty good with tech stuff</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: adults tho :/</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: I think I would actually prefer two competent adults over one potentially competent teenager</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: I would like to second that, if they’re not gonna like, tell the police or anyone.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: Gorgug, your parents aren’t connected to the police or the school, right?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: no theyre like… tinkerers</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: i </b>
  <b>
    <em>guess </em>
  </b>
  <b>we could all go to Gorgugs house this afternoon just to check it out</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: ooooh maybe there’s pictures of baby gorgug!!!!!</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: oh my god yes </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: actually i changed my mind i think biz might be alright</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: Nope, Thistlespring house it is, too late, we’ll meet you at the bus stop</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: We are NOT taking the bus again we shall be taking my CAR </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: isnt it technically your dads car</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: yes but by extension it is also mine dont worry about it </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: i </b>
  <b>
    <em>WISH </em>
  </b>
  <b>that was how it worked</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Am I gonna get </span>
  <em>
    <span>one </span>
  </em>
  <span>day where I get to just go home right after school ends?” Riz looked up from his crystal towards Fig, who was still tapping away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At the rate we’re going? Nope.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the day thankfully passed with nothing terrible happening. They all met up at lunch, not discussing their investigation or Johnny Spells or anything at length for fear of the dream crystals or other students overhearing them, and it was more like what Riz had always sort of imagined a normal friendship group to be like. They sat, discussed the different assignments they’d all already been given, Fabian complained over the amount of bookwork wizards had to do while Fig was literally just wandering around campus doing what she liked with no real consequences, and everyone else falling somewhere in between. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz didn’t speak up much. He’d never really been much of a talker. But it was nice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the end of the day, Fabian bustled them all out to the front of school, showing off the sleek black car that drove up to collect him with obvious pride, before jumping inside and demanding the driver to take them ‘to the Thistlespring estate!’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A moment passed before Gorgug awkwardly gave the driver the address, and explained that it was more of a tree than an estate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The drive passed quickly, Kristen and Fig having a delightful time playing with all the buttons and hidden compartments in the back while Fabian preened over their awe, Adaine riding on the outside with her scooter, and Gorgug offering advance apologies for anything embarrassing his parents might say every few minutes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Little Branch was a part of town that Riz was fairly familiar with. It was only ten minutes or so from Strongtower, and it had a lot of parks and walking trails that Riz could remember his mom taking him to on the rare occasions she had the time when he was younger. Sometimes when Riz felt really angry, and he just needed </span>
  <em>
    <span>space</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he’d head out to some of those walking trails.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Fabian’s driver took them deeper into Little Branch than Riz was used to going into, into what could only be called a forest of houses. Tree houses, that is. Gnomes and halflings and a few dwarves roamed many of the streets here, and as soon as they pulled up and climbed out of the car, Riz could feel bystanders looking at them curiously. But a lot of them seemed to immediately recognise Gorgug, nodding their heads and apparently putting something together in their minds before moving on with their own business. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tree they pulled up at was tall and well-tended, if obviously the home of a family of tinkerers. There was a shed outside piled high with scraps and high-finished projects, a customised van sat out front, the seemingly inert shell of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>tank </span>
  </em>
  <span>was just hanging out on the lawn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, uh, here’s home.” Gorgug scratched the back of his neck awkwardly with one hand, waving the other loosely towards the scene. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s very nice,” Adaine said politely. “It looks cozy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, it is,” Gorgug said. “It’s… really, really cozy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door opened at that moment, two gnomes stepping out with work aprons tied around their waists and big smiles on their faces. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my goodness! Gorgug, you didn’t tell me you were bringing your friends over!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug smiled nervously as they ran up, waving excitedly. “Everyone, meet my mom and dad.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this is ur regular 'fuck biz all my homies hate biz' reminder :v: </p><p>anyway stan the thistlespring parents</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Painting and Investigating</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gorgug tries to avoid embarrassment before the gang decide to try taking some initiative.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh we’re so excited to meet you all!” Wilma Thistlespring made it to Gorgug and his friends a few seconds before her husband did, immediately grabbing the hands of the closest person (thankfully Kristen rather than Riz or one of the others who might have instinctively pulled away) and beginning to shake them. “Gorgug, you should have told us! We don’t have enough dinner for eight!” </p><p> </p><p>Please no. </p><p> </p><p>He was not embarrassed by his parents. He wasn’t. He just liked it when things were manageable. His parents showering him with love and affection that he barely knew what to do with at home? Manageable. His parents potentially doing the same thing in front of all his new friends that thus far only knew him as the guy who got punched in the knees by Riz and then failed to keep himself and others alive? Nightmare scenario. </p><p> </p><p>“They’re- not staying for dinner,” Gorgug said weakly. “We just-”</p><p> </p><p>“We wanted to meet you!” Fig thankfully jumped in with far more confidence than Gorgug had ever possessed in his life. “We heard you’re <em>great </em>tinkerers and awesome with technology, and we wanted to meet you! I’m Fig, by the way, future saviour of the world, leader of the…” She paused, looking towards the others. “We need to sort out our party name.”</p><p> </p><p>“How about Fabian and the Squad?”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, how come Fig gets to be the leader-”  </p><p> </p><p>“Well, that’s just wonderful!” Digby had arrived at that point with just as many handshakes to give. “I’m Digby, this is my wife, Wilma, come in! Come in!” </p><p> </p><p>Everyone followed them happily, Gorgug finding himself bringing up the rear as they all tried to squeeze into the tree. The bottom floor was large enough to hold them, barely, but things were still obviously originally designed for gnomish heights before being modified to try and suit him.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s so nice in here!” Kristen said. “And weird, I’ve never been to a gnome house before.” </p><p> </p><p>“You must never have set foot in Little Branch before! Why, you can hardly be outside for three minutes before someone’s inviting you in for lunch or a snack or just a chat-” Digby said brightly.</p><p> </p><p>“Speaking of snacks, would anyone like cookies?” Wilma produced a tray, to the delight of everyone, and she passed it around, getting to Gorgug at the end and flashing him a proud smile. </p><p> </p><p>“Now, now, Gorgug told us all that you met during that awful cafeteria business,” Digby said, shaking his head lightly before perking up again. “But what’s been happening since then? Your first adventuring party, do you have your first group assignment yet?” </p><p> </p><p>“Technically-” Adaine began.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!” Fabian interrupted. “Yes, we do! It’s really exciting, we’re all working really hard, it’s very important.” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh my goodness, tell us some details!” </p><p> </p><p>“Well, some of it has got to be secret,” Fig added, sidling up to Digby and winking conspiratorially. “To stop other parties from cheating, you know?” </p><p> </p><p>“But…” Now Riz spoke up, a little more uneasily than Fabian or Fig. “We’re allowed to solicit <em>some </em>outside help. If there’s something that can’t be researched easily.” </p><p> </p><p>Wilma and Digby nodded for a moment before their eyes widened. “Us? You’re asking us for help?” </p><p> </p><p>“If you can,” Adaine said, eyeing the box of cookies like she wanted another one. Gorgug was pretty sure she hadn’t had as much sugar as she had consumed over the past couple of days in her entire life thus far. “Cause Gorgug said you’re great with techno stuff.” </p><p> </p><p>“Well, if it’s a tinkering problem, you’ve come to the right place! Technology might be a little more clunky depending on what it is, but we’re happy to help our son and his friends.” Wilma chuckled.</p><p> </p><p>There was a short moment of silence. Then Kristen attacked.</p><p> </p><p>“Was Gorgug a really cute kid?” She grinned excitedly. <em> Betrayal. </em></p><p> </p><p>Gorgug heard his parents inhale, always prepared to unleash an avalanche of baby stories at a moment’s notice. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, he was the sweetest thing!” </p><p> </p><p>Please no-</p><p> </p><p>“He was almost as tall as me by the time he was three!”</p><p> </p><p>The others were <em> gleeful</em>, oh god-</p><p> </p><p>“This reminds me of the time he got into all the flour and made such a mess!”</p><p> </p><p>If Vulcan truly cared he would strike him down right now and take him to the foundry, right? </p><p> </p><p>“I have some adorable photos of him when he was little-” <em> NOpe, NOpe NoPE NoPE NOPE- </em></p><p> </p><p>Gorgug cleared his throat, his voice squeaking when he spoke. “<em>I </em>think we should talk about that assignment!” </p><p> </p><p>“Of course, of course!” Wilma patted him on the arm, bustling everyone towards the dining table. There was nowhere near enough room for all of them to sit down so they stood around it. “So how can we help you kids?”</p><p> </p><p>“We found this… palimpsest, and we want to find out what’s inside it.” Riz pulled the palimpsest out of his backpack, holding it up.</p><p> </p><p>Digby reached out for it, and Riz hesitated for a moment before passing it over, Gorgug’s father digging out some glasses and squinting down at the crystal.</p><p> </p><p>“Looks like some kind of dream crystal…” Digby murmured. “But heavily modified. Broken, even.” </p><p> </p><p>“Broken?” Gorgug asked. “Like… a kind of broken that Mending could fix?”</p><p> </p><p>“Eh, not quite. Crystal tech can be pretty delicate, and Mending can be a little indiscriminate with the things it puts back together.” Digby passed the crystal to Wilma so she could get a look, a more focused expression on his face. “This looks scratched, maybe even some internal cracks. Whatever it was originally meant for, I doubt it does the same thing now.”</p><p> </p><p>“But there’s <em> something </em>inside of it,” Fig said, her brow furrowed. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, definitely, you can see the magical pulse,” Wilma said. “It could be entirely off the grid. Even the Bureau might not know about this one.” </p><p> </p><p>“Are you able to get… whatever is inside out?” Fabian asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Sure, I think that’s doable,” Digby said, nodding with his wife for a moment before facing them. “It might be a bit of a process though, we’re not exactly dream crystal experts.”</p><p> </p><p>“How long do you think it might take?” Fig asked.</p><p> </p><p>Digby whistled lowly, taking the palimpsest again and getting another look. “Hard to say. Just finding out what’s inside? Ten minutes. Getting it out? Might be trickier, depending on what it is.” </p><p> </p><p>“We appreciate the help,” Adaine said, and both of them broke into smiles, waving off the gratitude.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not a problem at all! Any friends of Gorgug are friends of ours.” Wilma said. “More cookies?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh, yes please.” Adaine happily took another cookie, before continuing. “Um, while we’re here, do you have any experience in painting vehicles?” </p><p> </p><p>“It’s not our specialty, but we have some paint and spray paint,” Digby said. “If you’re not looking for anything professional, you’re welcome to use it.” </p><p> </p><p>Adaine’s face lit up. “Really? I don’t have any money or anything-”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, no, we don’t need money!” Wilma laughed. “Gorgug, you know where everything is, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Gorgug, happy to take any excuse to get out of earshot in case his parents start talking about his childhood again, nodded immediately, waving for Adaine to follow him out of the tree to the shed.</p><p> </p><p>“Your parents are really nice,” Adaine said, holding some boxes that Gorgug had passed her while digging around for the paint and drop sheets.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, yeah,” Gorgug said, subdued. They really were. “They’re great. Are you going to paint your scooter?”</p><p> </p><p>Adaine nodded, the tips of her ears going a little red. “Red and black isn’t really my favourite colour combo. Also, I feel like it’s a <em> really </em>bad idea to ride around with the highly distinctive scooter of the guy we killed.” </p><p> </p><p>“That’s… a good point. What colour do you want?” Gorgug dug out the paint cans and spray cans, Adaine taking a step closer to get a look at them. She looked at them all for a very long moment before selecting green and white, and Gorgug helped her set up drop sheets.</p><p> </p><p>“Does it really ride by itself?” Gorgug asked after they began spray painting, neither of them particularly experienced. The scooter itself didn’t <em>seem </em>sentient, laid down on its side. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ve never ridden a scooter in my life before now, so I’m definitely not the one driving it,” Adaine admitted. “It’s like I can almost hear it in my head.” </p><p> </p><p>“Woah,” Gorgug whispered. “Like… a phone call?” </p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think so.” Adaine paused, glancing up at him. “More like… someone messaging me magically, except instead of words… it’s like a frog ribbiting. You know the Message spell?” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug shook his head, and Adaine pursed her lips, obviously trying to think of another comparison. “Does Vulcan ever talk to you?” </p><p> </p><p>“Uh…” Gorgug’s voice trailed off. “Sometimes things I’m holding catch on fire?” </p><p> </p><p>Adaine blinked at him, the hiss of their spray cans falling silent. “He’s kind of the god of fire as well as metalwork. But… I don’t know anymore.” </p><p> </p><p>They lapsed into silence again, both of them entirely unsure of what to say. </p><p> </p><p>“Are… you okay?” Adaine finally said. “After yesterday?” </p><p> </p><p>“It’s- it’s fine. Kristen sent me like fifty messages last night asking what war crimes are, so I think I’m doing pretty well relatively.” He gave a loose thumbs up.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh dear.” </p><p> </p><p>“I mean, it was pretty crazy for everyone.” Gorgug shrugged.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t die, though.” Adaine murmured.</p><p> </p><p>“You <em> nearly </em>died.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for healing me, by the way.” Adaine looked down, both of them chafing under the idea of concern being shifted their way. “Let’s just finish painting the scooter. Adventurers nearly die all the time, right? It’s normal.” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug was beginning to think that being an adventurer wasn’t quite entirely appealing. On the other hand, if he decided to drop out right now he was pretty sure everyone else would be dead within a week. “Right.” </p><p> </p><p>They both shook their spray cans again to finish coating the scooter in a layer of green paint, Adaine getting out a regular paintbrush and some white paint for accents once they were done. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you gonna name it?” Gorgug asked, watching Adaine carefully paint dots of white paint along the metal t-bar of the scooter. </p><p> </p><p>“Name it?” Adaine looked up at him, suddenly uncertain. “Am I supposed to name it?”</p><p> </p><p>Gorgug shrugged. “People name cool cars, right? And if it’s alive, it should probably have a name.” </p><p> </p><p>“That does make sense…” Adaine looked back down at the scooter, before talking aloud. “Do you have a name, Scooter?” </p><p> </p><p>A moment passed, and Adaine’s brow furrowed for a moment. “Well, it didn’t say a name… so I guess that means it’s up to me.”</p><p> </p><p>“You could just call it Scooter,” Gorgug suggested, but Adaine hummed thoughtfully. “Frog Scooter?” </p><p> </p><p>“Boggy.” She said, smiling nervously. “Short for Boggariel Froggariel. I always wanted a pet frog as a kid. Do you think it’s too much?” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug blinked, looking at the finished scooter. Now painted a soft green with white dots and accents, he definitely wouldn’t think that it had been used by a kidnapping murderous dance tiefling just yesterday. </p><p> </p><p>“I like it.” He said. Adaine perked up, her smile widening slightly. </p><p> </p><p>“Gorgug! Adaine!” The door to the Thistlespring tree burst open, Kristen standing in the doorway looking around before spotting them, waving urgently for them to come towards her. “Come on, we found out what’s inside!” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug and Adaine looked at each other with wide eyes before scrambling to their feet, running back inside the tree to see everyone still gathered around the dining table, Gorgug’s parents having dragged out some of their technology equipment, not used as often as their tinkering tools, but still useful.</p><p> </p><p>When they had left, the mood had been jovial and teasing, even though Gorgug and his friends were fully lying to his parents. Now, Gorgug thought he might be able to hear a pin drop. His other friends were standing with stiff shoulders, while Digby and Wilma frowned.</p><p> </p><p>In the middle of the table, the palimpsest had been attached to clamps and tables that ran to a laptop. Above, in a flickering blue hologram, was an image of a girl sitting on the ground with her knees pulled to her chest and her head tilted up as if leaning against a wall, a dejected expression on her face. The image reflected and mirrored itself a hundred times over, fractured and cracked like a broken screen. </p><p> </p><p>“This… is very strange,” Wilma said, chuckling nervously and tapping away at the laptop. “You’d almost think there was… a soul trapped in this crystal.” </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug walked up to Fig, who was biting her fingernails, her other arm folded across her chest for her elbow to rest on. He leaned down when he got close to her, whispering, “Is that Sam?”</p><p> </p><p>Fig nodded silently, the gears visibly whirring in her head.</p><p> </p><p>“Is there a way to talk with her?” Kristen asked, and Wilma and Digby looked up. </p><p> </p><p>“If this is an actual person trapped in here- this is something serious,” Digby said. “Kiddos, I don’t know-” </p><p> </p><p>“Are you able to get her out?” Fabian asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Well- this is even more complicated than we thought,” Wilma said, looking up at the projection of Sam. “Getting a full <em> person </em>out without harming her? It would take time, power, care…” </p><p> </p><p>“This is a <em> school </em>assignment?” Digby asked, looking Gorgug directly in the eye. </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug felt a pit form in his stomach, feeling the others turn to look at him as well. A short pause turned into something noticeably, suspiciously long, and he gulped. “Y-yeah. It is.”</p><p> </p><p>“I believe my father’s philosophy is to throw students into the deep end right off the bat.” Fabian jumped in helpfully, his voice full of the confidence that Gorgug definitely lacked. “But it’s all under control!” </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah!” Fig agreed, nodding quickly. “If we really can’t figure it out, I’m pretty sure we can take it to the teachers and they have like, failsafes, but then we like, fail the whole year, so-” </p><p> </p><p>“We don’t want that!” Kristen chimed in.</p><p> </p><p>“What they said,” Gorgug said, biting the inside of her cheek and digging his hands into his pockets.</p><p> </p><p>His parents exchanged a concerned look with one another, before exhaling. Wilma flicked some buttons and the hologram flickered twice before vanishing.</p><p> </p><p>“We can do what we can to help, but it might take a while.” She said, offering them a loose half-smile. “But don’t worry, we’ll give it our all. Better you took it to us than trying to do it yourselves.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Thistlespring!” Fig spoke up before anyone could possibly say anything different, leaning over the table to shake their hands. “You guys are the best! We couldn’t do it without you!” </p><p> </p><p>“Right, well, do you kids need anything else from us? A ride home?” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh no, I’ve got that sorted, don’t worry.” Fabian waved a hand, pulling out his crystal.</p><p> </p><p>“We don’t have to go yet,” Fig said, shooting them all very pointed looks. “We might as well have a proper party meeting about the assignment now while we’re all together. You know. To discuss what to do next.” </p><p> </p><p>She hustled them all outside as quickly as they could, throwing more hasty platitudes towards his parents as she did so. They ended up close to where Adaine’s scooter was still drying, settling down on the ground in a small, loose circle. </p><p> </p><p>“Now what?” Kristen asked before anyone else could get a word in edgewise. “Do we just wait to see if they can get Sam out?”</p><p> </p><p>“We need to find the others,” Riz said, frowning deeply. “Sam looked…” </p><p> </p><p>“We could go back to the garage,” Adaine suggested. “Maybe Johnny left the other palimpsests there. And we <em> did </em>kinda kill the whole gang, so we probably won’t get interrupted.”</p><p> </p><p>“Unless the police have already gone through and taken everything since that’s where the car chase started.” Fig pointed out, tapping her fingers on her chin thoughtfully. “Ugh, we can’t just sit around and wait.” </p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine with that, actually,” Gorgug said. “I’ve already got a stack of homework and I have done… none of it.” </p><p> </p><p>“Tell me about it.” Fabian groaned. “Like, it’s day two, I was hoping I’d get at least a <em> week </em>before my backpack was heavier than me.” </p><p> </p><p>“Most of my homework is just practising my guitar,” Kristen said. “Which I kind of do anyway.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re getting off-topic!” Fig said, waving her hands in front of their faces to catch their attention. “<em>I </em>don’t want to sit around and wait, and homework is just a distraction!”</p><p> </p><p>“Easy for you to say when you haven’t even been to a rogue class yet,” Riz said drily, and Fig promptly ignored him, opening up her satchel.</p><p> </p><p>“There’s gotta still be things we can do. Like figure out Johnny’s crystals.” She pulled out the two crystals, waving them around like a sheath of money. “Who knows what could be on these!” </p><p> </p><p>“But they’re locked,” Gorgug said. “And I think asking my parents to break into them <em> might </em>be a little suspicious.”</p><p> </p><p>“More suspicious than we’ve already been?” Fabian asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. </p><p> </p><p>“Ohoho, my friends, don’t worry, I know the solution.” Fig flashed them a smug grin, before pulling out the small black book, opening it up to the pages with dozens of number and letter sequences, the majority crossed out. “Bam. Passcodes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do they work?” Adaine asked. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I haven’t tried them yet.”</p><p> </p><p>“You wanted to do it here where it would be more dramatic?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yep.” </p><p> </p><p>And with that, she began typing in passcodes on the burner crystal, finding success after only a few tries. “Aha! A message!” </p><p><br/>Everyone’s eyes widened, and they all crowded around Fig to get a glimpse at the message. </p><p> </p><p>“Page didn’t work… we need another one… Can we organise a meetup?” Fabian read aloud. “We… there’s more than just Johnny involved in this. More than just Johnny and whoever is on the other end of this phone.” </p><p> </p><p>“The corn monster. There was a piece of paper inside the corn monster, the paper Fig shot.” Riz said.</p><p> </p><p>“And after I did, it all fell apart!” Fig exclaimed. “Johnny was behind that paper too! That’s the page! He had the tea, too, it’s all connected! I’m a genius!” </p><p> </p><p>“They were gonna try to make <em> another </em>corn monster?” Kristen groaned. “Why?” </p><p> </p><p>“To kill us probably, since we were so great at killing the first one,” Fig said with a shrug. </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug made a face, unsure of how much he agreed with that assessment of their abilities. “What are we going to say back?”</p><p> </p><p>“Say back? Why would we say something back?” Adaine asked. </p><p> </p><p>“Are you kidding? This is the perfect opportunity to find out who it is!” Fig exclaimed, typing something up and sending it before anyone had a chance to stop her. “There!”</p><p> </p><p>“What did you send?” Fabian asked.</p><p> </p><p>“‘Sure thing, daddy-o. What time jives for you?’” Fig read out.</p><p> </p><p>“What? That’s so stupid, give me that!” Fabian snatched the crystal. “Oh my god they’re replying, someone else take it, I don’t want it.” </p><p> </p><p>Fabian threw the crystal out towards Adaine, who yelped and tossed it up in the circle like it would burn her if she held it for more than a second. Riz reached a hand out to grab the crystal before Fig got her hands on it again, reading out the new message. “‘Aren’t you dead?’ Oh, that’s not good.” </p><p> </p><p>“Tell them we’re not!” Kristen said. “Or, well, Johnny’s not!” </p><p> </p><p>Riz made a face, before tapping in a message, reading it aloud. “‘Nope… I’m totally radical… Shit got… wild.’ Would Johnny say shit?” </p><p> </p><p>“Probably.” </p><p> </p><p>They bickered and crowdsourced their way through half a dozen more messages, lying through their teeth and all the old-fashioned slang they could think of until the other person on the line finally seemed convinced, telling them to meet up at ‘The Pit’ instead of ‘Tea Time’, which Fig quickly identified as ‘The Black Pit’, a club of some kind.</p><p> </p><p>“How do you know all these places where all the bad guys hang out?” Gorgug asked, and Fig just flicked one of her braids back.</p><p> </p><p>“You think my mom funds my investigations? Nope. I need to go find evidence by myself. And sometimes that means checking out dingy clubs to see if there’s a demon hiding in the staff room out back.” </p><p> </p><p>“Was there?”</p><p> </p><p>“Unfortunately not.” </p><p> </p><p>Riz spoke up. “How long did it take you to figure that out?”</p><p> </p><p>There was a long silence, everyone looking at a stony-faced Fig. </p><p> </p><p>“... <em> Anyway, </em>everyone better make a note for the last Wednesday of the month, cause we’re gonna go clubbing!” </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>For a little over a week, school actually seemed to progress as it was supposed to. No one died, Gorgug and his new friends didn’t have to run or fight for their lives after the school day had ended, and even the rest of the student body seemed to almost forget what had happened on that first day. </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug stopped getting weird looks in class whenever someone mentioned revivification spells, their focus drifting to whichever friends were having a fight that particular day. Even his parents had begun settling back to normal, though they offered to take him back to the therapist that he’d been seeing a few years ago, back when his anger issues had been worse.</p><p> </p><p>He’d said no, and his parents had accepted that. Just like they accepted everything else about him, good or bad. If he wanted their help, they would always be there. Which was so, so good of them. </p><p> </p><p>He never liked to ask for their help. So he went to school, he sat with his friends, and he bickered with them over the most pressing issue they had while waiting for the end of the month to roll around: their party name. </p><p> </p><p>Fabian still wanted something with his name in it. Nearly everyone else thought that was really dumb. When they finally had to register one with the school office everyone panicked until Kristen just wrote in ‘The Bad Kids’, after what Coach Daybreak had apparently called them when she’d been trying to get detention from him. </p><p> </p><p>“I think it’s kind of ironic,” Kristen said to him on a Monday afternoon, lying on bean bags facing away from each other and staring up at the ceiling of Elmville’s Public Library. Fig was off harassing the librarians about demons or warlocks or whatever clue she was currently obsessing over, while the others weren’t even there.</p><p> </p><p>Adaine had told them she’d been grounded for an undisclosed reason, and didn’t want to get into even <em>more </em>trouble prior to her already planned sneaking out to go to the Black Pit at the end of the week. Riz and Fabian had both plainly stated that they had other things to do.</p><p> </p><p>“Cause, you know, he was trying to convince me not to go to detention with you guys because you were bad kids who were all going to burn in hell for not believing in Helio, and I was a good kid.” Kristen continued, and Gorgug tuned in again, feeling a bit guilty for having zoned out. “But now <em> I’m </em>the bad kid. And I’m in The Bad Kids.”</p><p> </p><p>“Do you think you still believe in Helio?” Gorgug asked. </p><p> </p><p>“I think so. I mean, I’m pretty sure heaven is real, I saw it.” She chuckled lightly, but it quickly faded. “But there’s so much no one told me. So many things I didn’t… consider.” </p><p> </p><p>They’d both been reading the religious books they’d borrowed from the school library. Kristen’s had apparently been a lot more shocking than Gorgug’s. “Like war crimes?” He asked mildly.</p><p> </p><p>He could sense Kristen’s grimace. “I’ve hardly been able to play anything. It’s, like, I pick up my guitar but then… nothing. It just feels <em>fake. </em>I feel lied to. Do you get it?” </p><p> </p><p>“I haven’t really made anything new in a while.” Whenever he tried, he just imagined doing it forever, alone in a workshop, creating beautiful and useful things but oh, so lonely. “But I don’t think anyone’s been lying to me,” Gorgug said with a sigh. “Not on purpose.” </p><p> </p><p>He didn’t think Vulcan had been lying to him in the Foundry. He’d seemed far too serious to do that, too convinced in Gorgug’s role in it all. No, he’d just been wrong. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe we’re both destined for hell forever just for thinking about it.” Gorgug heard Kristen shift behind him, and when he tilted his head back as far as it could go to look, he saw she’d rolled over onto her stomach, her hands pressing her cheeks together. “Maybe we ruined it already.” </p><p> </p><p>“I… don’t want to think about that,” Gorgug said, looking back up at a stain on the ceiling. “I tried to read a wizard book and I’m pretty sure I got dumber just trying to figure it out.” </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe we can do something else.” Kristen mused. “You know, since switching gods is sacrilegious or whatever.”</p><p> </p><p>“Like what?” </p><p> </p><p>“Let’s be rangers! I bet I would be <em> awesome </em>at shooting a bow and arrow.” Gorgug rolled onto his stomach, seeing Kristen with a wide smile on her face. “It can’t be that hard, right?” </p><p> </p><p>Less than twenty minutes later Gorgug and Kristen were banned from the library for trying to play basketball with books, and they decided to shelve the ranger idea for now. </p><p> </p><p>When Wednesday evening finally rolled around, Gorgug and the rest of the Bad Kids all met up at the Black Pit, following the directions Fig sent to their phones. Outside the venue, they debated the possibilities of lying to the bouncers about their ages to get inside before Fig finally just took them around the side of the building and popped open a window for them to crawl through, which Gorgug <em> barely </em>managed to fit in. </p><p> </p><p>He then promptly fell the rest of the way to the ground, landing almost entirely on half of the rest of his party.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry-” He leaned on his staff as he got back to his feet, awkwardly holding a hand out to Fabian, who had been knocked flat. </p><p> </p><p>“Alright, let’s get down to business!” Fig was rubbing her hands together, buzzing with energy after nearly two full weeks of no near-death experiences, apparently. “We just need to make sure none of the managers see me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why?” Adaine asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Because I’m technically banned from here, and not just because I’m underage.” </p><p> </p><p>“For the spying?”</p><p> </p><p>“Among other things,” Fig said cryptically, not offering any more information as she began to lead them deeper into the club. </p><p> </p><p>“How long have you been doing your detective thing?” Fabian asked skeptically, and Fig made a ‘so-so’ motion with her hand.</p><p> </p><p>“Nearly three months?” </p><p> </p><p>“And <em> how </em>many places are you banned from now?”</p><p> </p><p>“None of your business!” </p><p> </p><p>It was big and dark, and loud, and unlike anything Gorgug had ever experienced before, but the music was nice. Each room seemed to have a different band playing, mostly rock or metal music, and he actually found himself relaxing a little, even when everyone else seemed to have their hackles raised. </p><p> </p><p>Music had always been something calming for him, even loud, heavy music like this. In fact, having something that was big and loud enough to drown out everything else was sometimes exactly what he needed. </p><p> </p><p>“Gorgug?” Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he started back into awareness, seeing Adaine standing to his side. All at once, he realised the others had begun to disperse into the crowd. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh- what’s going on?” </p><p> </p><p>“We’re splitting up to look around for clues,” Adaine explained, looking furtively over her shoulder as if to try and keep track of anyone she could still see. “Then Fig’s going to try texting the mystery number to see if we can get them to come to meet us outside.” </p><p> </p><p>“Ah. Okay. Where are you going to look?” </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe somewhere… quieter.” Adaine grimaced a little, peering through a door where more electronic music was coming from, then back towards the entrance. “Somewhere I can’t feel the music in my brain. What about you?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m gonna go closer to the music,” Gorgug said with a shrug. Adaine blinked at him, and he belatedly realised that maybe she didn’t want to be alone in a strange nightclub that they’d snuck into. “I mean- I can go with you if you want-”</p><p> </p><p>Adaine’s cheeks flushed. “No, it’s fine- I think I saw Fabian go that way- Better go make sure he’s not doing anything stupid like showing his dog off-” She quickly pivoted and began power-walking away, her shoulders hiked up to her neck, leaving Gorgug alone. Oh dear. </p><p> </p><p>For a moment he watched Adaine disappear down a hallway, his fingers twitching, pulling his staff close. But soon she was gone, so he turned his head back towards the other room, where the music was loudest. He had no idea what kind of ‘clues’ Fig wanted them to be on the lookout for, but maybe there’d be something interesting in there. </p><p> </p><p>He walked past a bar into the largest room he’d seen thus far, most of the space taken up by a mosh pit that had a few dozen people jumping and dancing to the beat. Gorgug thought he saw Fig or Kristen somewhere among them, but he could only catch glimpses before they vanished into the smoke and dim lights again. At the DJ booth was a shambling mess of a man, wearing a thick baggy hoodie, hood up, long stringy hair falling over his face, his movements jerky.</p><p> </p><p>His music was great, though. </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug shuffled along the wall, not quite daring enough to venture into the mosh pit, but finding himself smiling a little, some of the tension bleeding from his shoulders as he looked around so that he could at least pretend like he’d been looking for clues. </p><p> </p><p>Eventually, he nearly ran into someone else that was hugging the wall, leaning against it with a water bottle in hand and bobbing her head in time with the music. She was so short he didn’t even see her until he bumped into her shoulders, both of them flinching and jumping back.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh- sorry-” He quickly stammered, and the person looked up, stumbling through an apology of her own for being in the way before they both cut themselves off.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh-” Gorgug blinked, looking down at the satyr girl in front of him. The satyr girl that he <em> definitely </em>remembered was in his cleric class at school because he had been awkwardly unable to talk to her since the beginning of classes. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh my gosh-” The girl gasped, obviously recognising him as well, her cheeks reddening. “It’s you- I- sorry for bumping into you!” </p><p> </p><p>“No- I bumped into <em> you </em>-” Gorgug quickly said. “Um- what are you doing here?”</p><p> </p><p>“I love the concerts here.” The girl looked away quickly, hair falling in front of her face. “They’re like, pretty cool, I guess. What about you?” </p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Same. Full same.” Gorgug scratched the back of his neck, leaning against the wall and trying to get back some of the calm he’d been feeling only moments before, just letting the music pump through him. “It’s- Zelda, right? We’re in the same class?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes! Um, I mean, yeah, the teacher says it at the beginning of class every day. And you’re Gorgug.” Zelda tucked some hair behind her ear. “It’s like, crazy, we haven’t even spoken before now. Small town, I guess.” </p><p> </p><p>Yeah, crazy.” Gorgug glanced away, as the song the DJ was playing began to wind down. “How’d you get in past the bouncer?”</p><p> </p><p>“Fake ID,” Zelda admitted sheepishly. “Satyrs usually look pretty young for their age so it works pretty well.” </p><p> </p><p>“I snuck in through a window,” Gorgug said, and Zelda gasped lightly, inaudible over the music. </p><p> </p><p>“Really? Omigosh, that’s so crazy!” </p><p> </p><p>“I nearly got stuck.” Gorgug chuckled nervously, fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie. “Not- not super cleric-y of me, I guess.” </p><p> </p><p>“I- I think my god would find it pretty cool.” Zelda glanced away again, and Gorgug might’ve missed what she was saying if he weren’t hanging on to every word. “Do… do you do lots of sneaking around?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not… really?” Oh jeez, what was he saying- “I’m kind of here with some friends, they’re the sneaky ones.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh!” Zelda looked back at him, her eyes wide. “Oh, I’m sorry- you probably want to go hang out with them.”</p><p> </p><p>Gorgug blinked, waving his hands in front of him, quickly trying to backpedal. “No! It’s fine, they’re all fine, I’d rather hang out with-” He cut himself off sharply, his face heating up. “They’re all busy. Doing other stuff.”</p><p> </p><p>“Cool. I mean, not cool that your friends are all busy but cool that we can hang out. Outside of class.” Zelda spoke quickly, fiddling with her fingers. “Um-”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Who’s ready to r-r-r-rumbleeeee with DJ Brainzzzz~”  </em></p><p> </p><p>Both of them fell silent as a cheer went up from the mosh pit, but as the beat began to pick up, something about it made the hair on the back of Gorgug’s neck stand on end. All of the music before had been heavy, vibrating through the ground, ringing in his ears. This… this music almost seemed to be pulsing. Pulsing with something very bad. </p><p> </p><p>Next to him, Zelda was staring at the DJ. “Something…”</p><p> </p><p>Then they saw someone in front of them freeze up. </p><p> </p><p>Then he began to shudder.</p><p> </p><p>Then he began to <em>change. </em></p><p> </p><p>Fur began to sprout, his clothes began to rip. Cheers suddenly morphed to screams and shouts and hisses, the bright lights suddenly feeling like spotlights, the smoke suddenly feeling ominous. Throughout it all, DJ Brainzz continued to play his song. </p><p> </p><p>Gorgug pressed himself up against the wall, one hand pulling his staff in front of him like it might protect him. He looked over at Zelda, who was staring, aghast.</p><p> </p><p>“This- this isn’t normal?” </p><p><br/>“No-” Zelda stammered, dipping a hand into her hoodie and pulling out a wooden necklace with carved charms hanging from it. “This is very <em> bad.” </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>double gorgug!!!!! we love gorgug!!!!!!!!!! and zelda!!!!!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. And Keep My Eyes Above The Grain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fabian makes a couple of unintentional missteps, and Kristen tries to put on a show.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Fabian had never been to a club like this before, and it was kind of uncomfortable. The music was loud and made his head spin, and dragging his giant orb around in his backpack meant he kept bumping into people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not to mention that Hangman was in great danger of being stomped on at any moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come here-” Fabian finally scooped the dog into his arms, where he began to wriggle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Let me go! It’s amazing here! There’s so many girls!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hangman squirmed, though he soon settled after realising that he had a wonderful new vantage point from which to look at girls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No time to look at girls, Hangman, we need to find out who’s trying to poison my father.” Fabian hissed under his breath, looking around furtively. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t exactly new for his father to have people trying to kill him, but it had certainly been a while. Most were far too terrified to even try. Of course, even when Fabian had told his father about what he knew, he’d simply laughed off the danger, confident in his own ability to thwart any kind of assassination attempt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One didn’t live for over five hundred years despite only being a human without picking up a few tricks, he’d said. Fabian preferred to have some extra security. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The main bar of the club was marginally quieter than the rest of it, even if the bass lines of half a dozen bands vibrated through the floor, and there were clumps of people standing around and talking. But it was slightly less mind-numbing, so Fabian had decided to claim that as his area to investigate, weaving around people and trying to spot anyone that looked suspicious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In all honesty, </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>felt like the suspicious one, walking around in his regular school uniform and carrying a dog. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took a few minutes before he realised he was being followed, glancing over his shoulder to see Adaine hovering a few feet away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” He straightened up. “I thought we were supposed to be looking around separately.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t trust this club,” Adaine said, her arms folded, glancing around suspiciously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s why we’re here.” Fabian turned back around to resume searching as Adaine scoffed, before realising that some of the people around them were acting strangely, stiffening up and groaning. “Uh- Adaine?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked back towards her, but she’d noticed the same things, concern and confusion plain on her face, one hand reaching towards her greatsword holstered on her belt. Some of the people around them doubled over, seeming to shift in size, hair growing long, while others melted into shadows, eyes flashing red. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, this doesn’t look healthy.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Even Hangman seemed confused, his ears pinned back, though he’d been restless ever since they’d arrived. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian took a step back towards Adaine until they were almost back to back, shuffling Hangman so that he was held in one hand, leaving the other free for a quick spell if he needed it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A scream pierced the din of the music from somewhere else in the club, and that seemed to be the signal for all hell to break loose. Someone lunged onto a woman in front of him, knocking her to the ground, others were shrieking and running away, someone else pounced onto the back of someone else, it was pandemonium.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Werewolves-” Fabian heard Adaine say, almost in disbelief. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, that’s impossible,” Fabian said, even as he stared at someone growing fur, teeth sharpening into fangs before him. “It’s not even the full moon!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m sure if you tell that to the </span>
  <em>
    <span>werewolves </span>
  </em>
  <span>they’ll just stop attacking people!” Adaine snapped before Fabian heard her inhale sharply, swinging her greatsword up and meeting flesh. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No need to be snarky about it.” Fabian huffed, gathering up a firebolt in his free hand and lowering Hangman halfway to the floor before letting him drop the rest of the way. “Stay close, Hangman.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I shall defend you to my final breath!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hangman yipped, his tail wagging as he took up a defensive position somewhere in between Fabian and Adaine. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“After which you can resummon me!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With both hands now available, Fabian gathered up as much magical flame in his hands as he could, holding it for only a moment before throwing it in the direction of a werewolf that was menacing a man backed up in a corner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment, the bar lit up with light as it struck, and the werewolf yelped in pain, jerking to the side and whipping to face him, the man taking the opportunity to flee. Sharp yellow eyes locked onto him before narrowing, and it let out a deafening roar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian felt the blood rush from his face, frantically gathering up another firebolt, managing to graze him on the shoulder before the werewolf was upon him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Letting out an extremely dignified shriek, Fabian ducked out of the way, throwing a barstool between him and the werewolf while attempting to create another firebolt, feeling the disturbance in the air of a strike that would have surely torn his throat out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The werewolf snarled at him, claws raised for another strike before its side was suddenly sliced through with a greatsword, blood splattering in an arc. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine’s eyes were wide, but she didn’t even look at Fabian before heaving her greatsword back to try again, the werewolf turning towards her now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Come on, Master Fabian! We have to fight!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hangman demanded, tugging at the edge of Fabian’s jacket, and he nodded, gritting his teeth together. He was a Seacaster! He certainly wasn’t about to let </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adaine </span>
  </em>
  <span>show him up! </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jumping back to his feet, Fabian shot another firebolt at the werewolf Adaine was fighting, hitting him in the stomach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The wolf let out a pained roar and Fabian darted forward, grabbing Adaine’s wrist and pulling her back, away from the very-easily-surrounded spot in the middle of the bar.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, let’s find the others!” He shouted, looking towards the entrance to the large room where he had last seen everyone else, only to see heavy smoke pooling around the floor, and a gaggle of zombies blocking the way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Zombies? Seriously? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine ripped her hand from Fabian’s grip but still followed him when he made an impulsive detour, jumping behind the bar itself instead. It was empty, the bartenders having either fled or transformed, but it had </span>
  <em>
    <span>some </span>
  </em>
  <span>cover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re cut off!” Adaine said, beginning to rummage through shelves and picking up random bottles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can see that!” Fabian shouted, shooting off firebolt after firebolt at the zombies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, this only resulted in setting the zombies on fire. After which they continued shambling towards them, to his growing horror. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few moments, a half-full wine bottle went flying, shattering over the zombie that was closest to them and spilling brains and gore from the wound. It fell unceremoniously to the ground, fingers still twitching and groaning lowly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god that’s disgusting-” Fabian gagged, his next firebolt skidding past another zombie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just keep shooting, Seacaster!” Adaine said, throwing more bottles as quickly as she could pick them up. She missed almost as many times as she hit, but they were undoubtedly effective. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, maybe you could invest in a crossbow or something!” Fabian shouted out as he continued tossing fireballs, trying to thin the ranks. There was still plenty of chaos in the room to keep some of the zombies and werewolves occupied, but a lot of them were definitely attracted to the fiery light show he was making. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>invest in a second damage-dealing spell?” Adaine snapped back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Obviously </span>
  </em>
  <span>I can do more spells! I just don’t want to use up the spell slots!” That was a lie. He’d prepared all his identifying and detecting spells that day. This was just supposed to be a spy mission, not a fighting mission. Perhaps he should’ve learned after the </span>
  <em>
    <span>last </span>
  </em>
  <span>spy mission they’d done.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Won’t matter how many spell slots you have if we’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’d think that of anyone, you would appreciate how complicated it is to learn new spells!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine could not have rolled her eyes more dramatically if she had tried, pegging another bottle at a zombie and smashing it in the head, though this one didn’t shatter immediately. “Just keep killing things!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, brilliant plan there, Adaine. What would I do without your strategic insight?” Fabian drawled without thought. His heart was racing and there was </span>
  <em>
    <span>still </span>
  </em>
  <span>music vibrating through his body so intensely he felt like he could hardly think. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Die, probably.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian scoffed, pointing his finger at a werewolf looking direction and firing off another firebolt to warn him off. “I’m sure Aelwyn would have a plan if she were here-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next thing thrown wasn’t a bottle but a knife that had been behind the counter, sinking directly into the head of a zombie, and Fabian glanced to his side briefly to see Adaine glaring at him before tearing her gaze away, rummaging for more things to throw. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, she’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>not. </span>
  </em>
  <span>If you like her so much you should’ve gone to Hudol.” Adaine’s voice had taken on a dangerous tone that was difficult to decipher over the thudding beat of the music from the other rooms, and Fabian was far too busy trying not to die to truly do anything but just notice the difference. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Naturally, as a Seacaster, he laughed in the face of danger. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I should’ve! From everything Aelwyn has told me about it, it sounds marvellous!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine laughed a hollow sort of laugh before cutting herself off, throwing a blender at the zombies with as much force as she could muster. “Yeah, I’m sure you’d fit in perfectly, Mr. Wizarding Prodigy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian couldn’t tell exactly what she was implying but he was mostly certain it was some kind of insult, so he wasn’t about to take that lying down. He stood up to his full height, planting his hands on his hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I probably would! It would be great! A whole school just full of people that understand the hard work and dedication it takes to become a wizard!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine stood up, narrowing her eyes at him, daring him to continue speaking. Fabian liked to imagine he was good at taking hints. When it came to Adaine, he really wasn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But whatever. I bet you’d just hate me even more if I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>go to Hudol. Someone would almost think you were jealous!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Ooooh, Master, I think that hit a nerve.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian could sense the wince in Hangman’s voice, and he belatedly realised that Adaine had fallen completely silent. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right before launching herself at him with her bare fists. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think maybe these people need to try a new genre of music!” Kristen shouted, frantically strumming her guitar in an attempt to overwhelm the heavy electronic music coming from the DJ booth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The mosh pit was now more a scene of carnage, zombies, vampires, and werewolves running at each other with a few civilians screaming in the mix, and then, of course, Kristen and her friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz had run directly for the most obvious source of the problem in DJ Brainzz, and Kristen was desperately trying to make sure he didn’t die on the way, singing the first hymns she could think of at the top of her lungs and generally being a massive distraction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug was back to back with a satyr girl that Kristen vaguely remembered seeing in the halls of school a couple of times, both of them visibly blushing and seeming to be holding some kind of awkward conversation even while they both cast spells at enemies around them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen hadn’t seen Fabian or Adaine since they’d split up, and Fig had vanished mere moments before chaos had broken out after sending a text to the mystery number, having apparently spotted something interesting without feeling the need to tell anyone else where, who or what it was in her excitement to track it down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh jeez-” Kristen scrambled back out of the way of two vampires leaping onto a werewolf. If her mother were here, she’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>say that everyone in this room was going to hell. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You call me out across the fields~”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Belting out a painfully catchy worship song that was hopefully inspiring to her friends and ear-bleeding to everyone else, Kristen ducked and weaved across the room, her fingers aching from how hard she was trying to strum. Acoustic guitar just </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t have the volume to match the bass DJ Brainzz was dishing out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Guess that only meant she needed to sing </span>
  <em>
    <span>louder.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>AND I WILL CALL UPON YOUR NAME~ </span>
  </em>
  <span>except maybe not anymore because you’ve never actually appeared to meeeeee-AH!” She fell to her knees to dodge a zombie thrown overheard, which hit the wall with a sickening crunch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“AND KEEP MY EYES ABOVE THE GRAIN~ </span>
  </em>
  <span>I don’t know if this even makes sense anymore-” She started digging through her backpack, slinging her guitar over her shoulder, where it would probably be more useful shielding her back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“WHEN CORNFIELDS RISE MY SOUL WILL REST IN YOUR EMBRACE~ </span>
  </em>
  <span>except not really cause Helio’s too frickin BUSY apparently-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you alright, kid?” Some random vampire glanced her way with one eyebrow raised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Peachy! </span>
  <em>
    <span>FOR I AM YOURS!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>She finally pulled out her harmonica even as she scoffed at the lyrics </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>was singing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“AND YOU ARE MINE!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Turning towards DJ Brainzz, who was currently trying to fend off a Riz hellbent on smashing his DJ booth to pieces, Kristen let the final note ring in the air before taking a massive breath in and belting </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>of it into the harmonica. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One cacophonous, discordant note shrieked out, waves of peach-coloured magic amplifying outwards directly towards the booth, many of the combatants in the room outside of the direct line of the spell grimacing and covering their ears, while others caught in its path did all they could just to stay upright. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even DJ Brainzz’s music seemed to stutter, Riz slapping his hands over his ears and momentarily dropping his axe, the zombified DJ shuddering violently on the spot, his equipment beginning to visibly crack.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a beat, the music paused. Then everyone turned to look at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh dear,” Kristen whispered, breathing heavily from the exertion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And all at once, everyone went at it again. Music blared, people screamed, weapons went wild. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A whole bunch of werewolves and vampires began to run directly at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Considering she really didn’t want to die again today, Kristen did the very mature and sensible thing and went shrieking towards Gorgug and his satyr friend. “HELP!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kristen!” Gorgug sounded surprised to see her, before immediately becoming awkward. “Hey- uh, Zelda, this is my friend Kristen, she’s a bard, we died together, yknow, normal friend stuff.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The satyr, Zelda, looked at Kristen with wide eyes, before looking away, embarrassed, simultaneously directing a translucent, shimmering, yellowish-green battleaxe into a zombie’s head. “Oh- that’s so cool, it’s really nice to meet you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, nice to meet you too,” Kristen said genuinely, shaking Zelda’s hand. “You’re a cleric too?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I follow Faunus.” Zelda said, twirling some hair on her finger while Gorgug batted a werewolf with his staff, which was glowing red from heat at the tip. “Nature domain, yknow.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s so cool. So cool. Faunus seems cool. What’s his values like?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ecstasy… wine and stuff. Just kind of having a good time. A lotta violence.” Zelda shrugged. “It’s whatever.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh. Hey, maybe after this could I talk to you about- URGHK!” Her perfectly pleasant conversation was cut short by another werewolf barrelling directly into her, knocking her flat on her face to the floor before Gorgug and Zelda could stop him from doing any more damage. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen clambered to her feet with a grimace, blood dripping from her nose and flashing a thumbs up at them both. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, are you alright?” Zelda asked, holding a hand towards her hesitantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen flashed her a thumbs up, wiping blood away with her hand. When she spoke, her voice was a little nasally. Ok, it was kinda broken. That’s fine. “All good!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh- do you know where Fig is?” Gorgug asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll- find her!” Kristen declared. “You can count on me! You two can do this!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before she could get wrecked again, she turned and tried to get away from the bulk of the fighting, calling out for their missing friend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fig! FIG!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It quickly became apparent that she would </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>be able to dash around the battlefield as much as she pleased, so Kristen retreated to one side of the room where a bunch of tables had previously been set up, and were now fully knocked down, inadvertently creating a mini shield of sorts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She attempted to jump over one of the tables to get behind and promptly tripped over and broke whatever part of her nose hadn’t been broken before, lying on the ground in her misery for a few seconds before finally pulling herself up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sitting a few feet in front of her was a random concert-goer, dressed in all black and clearly scared out of his mind, staring at her, her face smeared in blood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sup.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man fainted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Get well soon, dude.” Kristen patted him on the shoulder, a small tingle of magic slipping from her to him, before she pulled herself up to her knees, peeking through the gaps in the tables to get a better look at the battlefield. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was absolute chaos. Vampires were fighting werewolves, werewolves were fighting vampires, everyone was fighting zombies, Gorgug and Zelda were fighting everyone, Riz was fighting the DJ and the DJ kept trying to shoot weird spells at Riz.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No sign of Fig. Or Fabian and Adaine, for that matter. Hopefully, they weren’t dead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen mulled on that possibility for a few seconds before pushing it to the back of her brain where all the uncomfortable ideas went, narrowing her eyes and double-checking to make sure they weren’t in the room. No sign of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Biting the inside of her cheek, Kristen prepared to venture out into the fray once again. Hopefully, the others were fine. But the rest of them were definitely in very real danger. Riz was beginning to buckle under an assault with no backup, despite the sizable amount of damage he’d made. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Riz!” Kristen shouted, getting her harmonica prepped again. “Move out of the way!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Riz’s ears perked up at the sound of his name over the din, and at Kristen’s next command he quickly darted to the right, presumably remembering Kristen’s last use of the harmonica. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen didn’t bother with the build-up of a song this time, simply gathering up as much energy as she could in only a few moments and channeling it into a low, piercing blow. It thundered out of her harmonica in a wave, blowing back everything in its path, most importantly, DJ Brainzz. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The zombie stumbled backward off the raised platform he’d been standing on, and Riz saw his opportunity, jumping back into the fray as soon as Kristen’s note began to fade, greataxe raised up high.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen, for her part, immediately went to town on the rest of the DJ’s equipment with the help of a piece of wood that had already been broken off from somewhere. It was hard to tell which of them did it, Riz chopping off the zombie’s head or Kristen bashing the equipment until it was in pieces, but finally, the music cut off with a discordant screech.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All of the zombies immediately began to crumple into bones and ash where they stood and the werewolves began to shift back into whoever they were before, howling in distress and running away, while the vampires skulked into the shadows, not keen to stick around now that the show was over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen stomped on a speaker one final time for good measure, breathing heavily.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We did it?” She asked, looking over to Riz, who was running a hand through his hair, axe smeared with greyish-green goop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Yeah.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen nodded, looking over to Gorgug and Zelda, who were busy pointing at injuries the other had gained and apologising for whatever mistake or misstep on their part had possibly caused it, but they seemed mostly alright. Awesome.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god the others are totally </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead-” Now </span>
  </em>
  <span>she could panic, nearly tripping her way off the platform and racing to the other side of the room where she’d seen Fig, Adaine and Fabian last. “Fig? Fabian? Adaine?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a few moments there was no response, but then Fabian and Adaine appeared from a doorway to the bar. Both of them were injured, more than any of the rest of them were, though along with cuts or scratches from werewolves or zombies, they also seemed to have injuries more along the lines of bruises and… burn marks?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine was staring firmly at the ground with her hands balled into fists at her side, and Fabian just looked embarrassed. Neither looked anywhere close to the other’s direction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh… are you guys okay?” Gorgug asked nervously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fabian snapped all too quickly, scooping Hangman into his arms. “Are we done here? Can we go home?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Fig?” Riz asked, walking up to them with his axe dragging on the ground behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A voice came from behind Kristen, and she jumped, pivoting to see Fig emerging from a particularly shadowy corner of the room, a scowl on her face. She was also noticeably roughed up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank Helio-” Kristen felt herself relax, tension leaving her shoulders. “Where were you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Chasing Zayn Darkshadow.” Fig said, scrunching her nose. “At least until he ran past a bunch of werewolves.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Gorgug asked, already approaching her to heal up the worst of the injuries.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig pursed her lips, visibly debating whether to answer or not. “Stuff.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what happened to you two?” Riz asked, directing his question to Fabian and Adaine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Things,” Adaine mumbled, while Fabian just huffed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, Zayn Darkshadow?” Kristen interrupted, finally processing what Fig had said. “He’s… he’s that guy that bumped into me on the first day. What’s he doing here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Meeting up with Johnny Spells.” Fig pulled the burner phone out from her pocket, waving it in the air. “I sent a text, and his phone lit up. That’s when everything went crazy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So he’s behind it all?” Gorgug asked, patting some light healing on people who needed it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or he’s a middleman,” Fig said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I can’t believe he got away! He’s going to know we’re onto him now!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I’m… a little confused?” Zelda said quietly, holding one hand in the air. “Um, what’s going on?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Half the group turned to Zelda as if suddenly registering her presence, blinking like they were wondering when they’d gained a seventh member.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, guys, this is Zelda!” Gorgug said, his cheeks flushed. “She’s in my cleric class. Uh, Zelda, this is Fig, Riz, Fabian, Adaine, and- you already met Kristen.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet you all,” Zelda said, getting a subdued chorus in return. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In any case, tonight has been almost a total </span>
  <em>
    <span>bust.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Fig groaned, before sighing. “I guess we can start investigating Zayn tomorrow.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should probably leave before the police get here,” Zelda spoke a little nervously, like she wasn’t sure if it was alright to interject into the conversation. “This kind of stuff has happened before, they’re probably already on their way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That promptly kicked all of them into gear, and they raced to leave the Black Pit, fumbling over panicked conversations to the bouncers wondering why a gang of teenagers were coming out after a weird zombie/vampire/werewolf account, which ultimately culminated in telling one of them to go apply for the open lunch lad position at Aguefort so that he’d get all excited and give them enough time to run away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few minutes later they were all panting in an alleyway, hiding from police cars streaking towards the Black Pit, in the dead of night. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh,” Kristen said, breathing heavily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s gonna take </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>long for me to walk home.” Gorgug leaned on his staff, looking exhausted. There was a series of groans as everyone individually considered how far away they were from their respective homes, or how much their parents were going to kill them for being out so late, or both. Kristen had told her parents she was holding another prayer meeting — and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>wasn’t sure how much longer that lie was going to hold up, not when her parents kept asking when she’d bring her new friends to church with her — but she’d turned her crystal off two hours ago when they’d started asking what time she’d be home. She didn’t want to turn it back on. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>some </span>
  </em>
  <span>people weren’t too concerned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s just go to my house and be done with it.” Fabian sighed, his eyes half-closed and resting against the wall, hugging Hangman to his chest. “I can call a car and then we can all go to sleep.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I won’t have to deal with my parents til after school tomorrow! Perfect!” Kristen exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. Now that was a problem for </span>
  <em>
    <span>future </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kristen to solve. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Almost everyone else voiced their agreement to that </span>
  <em>
    <span>far </span>
  </em>
  <span>more convenient solution than trying to sort out a way home by themselves, until Adaine was the only one left to agree.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can just go home.” She said quietly, rubbing a faded injury on her arm. “I’ve got Boggy, I’ll be fine.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Awwww, Adaine!” Fig was quick to protest. “You should come with us! It’ll be fun!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! It’ll be like a sleepover!” Kristen added, pumping her fists excitedly. “I’ve never had one of those before!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine looked at them skeptically, her eyes flickering to Fabian (who pointedly averted his gaze) and then back at them before biting her lip and finally sighing. “Alright.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig and Kristen cheered and high-fived, and then quickly pulled a very flustered Zelda and slightly less flustered Adaine into it as well, while Fabian called up his driver, and the others prepared for the short wait until he arrived to take them to Seacaster Manor. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>look part of the fun of rewriting stuff is that i can add in more drama where i see fit<br/>and fabian and adaine have a history ok</p><p>also rewriting songs that i learned in church to be about corn is the funniest thing and i love to do it</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Truth or Truth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fig meets Fabian's dad in his favoured terrain, and Gorgug and the gang take advantage of the lawlessness of the theatre department.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Holy shit, Fabian, your house is </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fig exclaimed as Fabian’s car drove up to Seacaster Manor. She’d known he was rich, but having an entire ship as your house on land was just a fully different ball game. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the dead of night, and most of the lights in the house were dark, but Fig could see the shadow the massive ship cast in the moonlight, looming over them once she’d stepped out of the fancy car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah-” Fabian clambered out and stretched his arms up, wincing as he did it. “Let’s just get inside.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Glancing over her shoulder, Fig saw the others (minus Adaine) in shock at how large the manor was as well, blinking through exhausted eyes and mouths dropping open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh man, this is gonna be the best sleepover ever,” Kristen mumbled, as they began trooping their way up to the front door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the front of the group, Fabian creaked the door openly ever so slowly, poking a head inside before opening it wider and waving the rest of them inside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig didn’t bother pretending she wasn’t going to snoop, thankful for her natural darkvision that allowed her to gawk at every single pirate trophy and portrait and magical artifact that adorned the halls. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t touch anything, some of it could kill you,” Fabian said, and Fig’s hand froze just in front of a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>expensive looking crown, immediately wanting to touch it even more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is everything in here cursed?” She asked, excited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fabian scoffed. “That would be extremely dangerous.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So why can’t I touch anything?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I don’t know what </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>cursed so it’s easier to just not touch anything.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig weighed up the pros and cons for two seconds before poking the crown. Unfortunately, nothing happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In front of her, Gorgug, Zelda and Riz had migrated to the dead centre of the hallway, where they wouldn’t be able to even touch something on accident. Kristen was only barely restraining herself, and Adaine didn’t seem very interested in any of it, her arms folded and her eyes on the ground as she followed the rest of them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their footsteps echoed as they made their way through the sleeping manor, Fabian muttering something about finding the closest guest bedroom and leaving them to fend for themselves, which actually sounded quite exciting in Fig’s opinion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Then they were suddenly plunged into absolute darkness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least one of them shrieked, and Fig was happy that no one could see her jump, but before anything else could happen, Fabian called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s me, Papa! Not intruders! Your son!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a short silence that was only broken by a supportive yap from Hangman, before the darkness was dispelled as quickly as it had arrived, and Fig saw half her friends with weapons drawn and the other half desperately holding onto each other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Above them, half a dozen axes hovered menacingly, ready to be dropped directly onto them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fabian, my boy!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Principal Seacaster appeared in the middle of the corridor, snuffing out a ball of fire in his hands and grinning widely. “And you brought your friends!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, yes, Papa,” Fabian said tiredly, his shoulders slumping. “It’s been a very long night and we’re the closest so-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oooh, a late-night party mission, is it?” Bill looked excited.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose.” Fabian shuffled uncomfortably. “Could we put away the axes?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” Bill blinked blankly for a moment before Fabian pointed up. “Oh! Oh, right, of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A wave of the hand and the axes floated away to where they’d been hanging on the wall before throwing an arm around Fabian’s shoulder and pulling him further into the house, beckoning the rest of them to follow him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were eventually led to some kind of dining room, except instead of being a single corner in the house with a small table and two chairs it was actually its own room and also the size of Fig’s bedroom twice over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, now let’s see, I’ve hardly gotten a chance to meet my own son’s adventuring party!” Bill chuckled, as Fig and the others stood around slightly awkwardly, uncertain if they were supposed to sit down or not. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Mr. Seacaster.” Adaine was the first to speak, waving loosely but mostly hanging in the back of the group. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Adaine! Wonderful to see you. How are your parents?” Bill sounded downright pleasant for once.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unfortunate, I’d’ve hoped they’d have blown themselves up trying to do a fireball by now.” Bill mused, before splitting into a grin. “I’m joking!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig glanced at Adaine, who just looked blankly in Bill’s direction, not that he seemed particularly concerned about her reaction to him openly wishing for her parent’s deaths. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yup, just as crazy as he was at school. This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>way </span>
  </em>
  <span>more fun than just going home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Papa, we’re actually all pretty tired, I think.” Fabian sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It was a crazy fight, you know, and-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I want to hear all about it!” Bill declared, throwing his arms up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We fought a bunch of zombies!” Kristen jumped in. “And vampires, and werewolves!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bill clapped his hands in appreciation, and everyone seemed to quickly get on board, perhaps in the hope it might lead them to a bed faster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were at a night club-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And the DJ was a zombie and he played this </span>
  <em>
    <span>wicked </span>
  </em>
  <span>music-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And we all got split up because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>saw this guy from our school-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who is a part of the conspiracy to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>by the way-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I pulled out my harmonica!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I honestly have no idea what is going on and I don’t know anyone here besides Gorgug.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Adaine </span>
  <em>
    <span>punched </span>
  </em>
  <span>me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was provoked!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A dozen voices began to overlap, some of them gesturing wildly to make their points, others just speaking even louder. For a few minutes, Bill listened, his brow slowly furrowing, his proud grin slowly slipping from his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, in a brief moment of quiet, he held up a hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, let me see if I have this straight. You followed the clues to this night club, a place you have never been before, and then you split up, and when the fighting began you… didn’t immediately group back together?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well- we were cut off, Papa.” Fabian began to stammer. “And I don’t know what </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fig </span>
  </em>
  <span>was doing-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was actually doing what we were </span>
  <em>
    <span>there </span>
  </em>
  <span>to do.” Fig folded her arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, so your rogue was off by herself, without letting anyone know where she was going,” Bill pointed at her, and Fig blinked, suddenly feeling like there was a spotlight on her, but it was only a moment before he moved on. “You and your fighter were fighting </span>
  <em>
    <span>each other</span>
  </em>
  <span>, in the middle of battle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why exactly were you fighting each other?” Gorgug asked hesitantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>were </span>
  </em>
  <span>we fighting, Adaine?” Fabian drawled, shooting Adaine a death glare that she didn’t hesitate to return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we can do it again and you’ll remember-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And in the meantime, your barbarian was almost soloing the main bad guy by himself while both available clerics were on the other side of the room entirely.” Bill continued, catching everyone’s attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They fell quiet, avoiding each other’s gaze. To Fig, it was uncomfortably similar to times her mother had lectured her on why sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night was both dangerous and also very worrying, but it was a lot harder to ignore said lecture when it was someone other than her mother giving it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about Kristen?” Fig asked, pointing to their bard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, from what I’ve heard she’s actually been an excellent team player,” Bill said nonchalantly, shrugging. “And considering you’re not even an official member of this party, Zelda did quite wonderfully as well.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen beamed at the praise and Zelda stammered some sort of thanks, before Bill cleared his throat, a cold expression washing over his face. “Now you kids need to listen to me. Tonight? You got lucky.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well-” Fabian stumbled over his words. “We found out Zayn Darkshadow is involved! He might be the one that tried to poison you!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bill openly laughed, slapping his knee. “Hah! A child? Killing </span>
  <em>
    <span>me? </span>
  </em>
  <span>I would have liked to see him try!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“People </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>trying!” Fabian exclaimed. “They tried to poison your </span>
  <em>
    <span>tea!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And yet here I am, fit as a fiddle!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because Riz and Fig stole it before you could drink it! Ostentatia was stuck in the nurses’ office for a week!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fabian!” Riz said in dismay, suddenly looking mildly terrified. At the same moment, Fig remembered his threat to violently kill the tea thief back on the first day, her eyes widening as she waited for Bill’s reaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He blinked. Then he looked to the two of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No!” Riz and Fig both said at the same time, terribly unconvincingly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig’s eyes flickered to the windows. If she shot them out maybe she could jump out before Bill had a chance to kill her and- wait, was Bill grinning? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’d thought it was a couple of seniors trying to be clever! That’s impressive!” He reached out to clap them on the shoulders, and Fig started laughing nervously to cover up that she’d been seriously regretting not having written out her will before agreeing to come to Fabian’s house. “And of course, if you ever do it again they’ll never find your body.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a very long silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pa</span>
  <em>
    <span>pa! </span>
  </em>
  <span>You can’t threaten to murder my friends!” Fabian complained, looking absolutely miserable. “Can we please just go to sleep now?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sleep?” Bill looked to his son, genuinely surprised. “You think you kids are going to get to sleep tonight?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all stared blankly at the man. Kristen was the first one brave enough to question it. “Uh… yes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bill laughed heartily, getting to his feet and waving a hand in the air. Lights switched on immediately, doors slammed shut, and there was a low rumbling coming from somewhere else in the house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You kids are no adventuring party, not yet.” He grinned devilishly at them, towering above all but Gorgug. “And no one’s going anywhere until ye are.” </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m never going to your house again, Fabian.” Riz groaned, after the seven of them were dropped off in front of Aguefort Adventuring Academy, just in time for the first bell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug rubbed at his eyes, the sunlight almost blinding after a full night of no sleep and too much activity. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll just make the trip home next time. At least I’ll actually get to go to sleep.” Fig stretched her arms up, her back cracking. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I didn’t know he’d do </span>
  <em>
    <span>that,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fabian grumbled. “Besides, I think training was very important.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be sure to tell Miss Jones that when someone that has actually had rest utterly destroys me in class today,” Adaine said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Papa is the principal and he said so, just tell her that.” Fabian folded his arms. At his feet, Hangman, the only one among them with seemingly any kind of energy left, was happily prancing alongside them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it was, uh, nice hanging out with you all, I guess,” Zelda said, looking very frazzled. Even though she wasn’t even part of their adventuring party, Bill had put her through the teamwork/fighting/strategy/torture regime as well, and she’d seemed too confused or nervous to complain about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- I’m sorry you got… dragged into that.” Gorgug said weakly. She was never gonna want to hang out with him again. Great. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, it’s okay,” Zelda said, scratching her neck and blushing, looking down at her feet. “Though, I might just skip school today and go home. My parents are probably wondering where I am.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug grimaced at the thought of his own parents. “Ah, good idea.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now that’s an idea,” Riz said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was fun hanging out with you, Gorgug.” Zelda smiled shyly, tucking some hair behind her ears that immediately fell in front of her face again. “You know, besides the whole, nearly dying and then not being allowed to sleep thing.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, totally,” Gorgug said, feeling his cheeks heat up, a little surprised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, um, maybe we can hang out again later, in like, class or something. Um, okay, bye!” Zelda waved loosely before pivoting and turning away, pulling out her crystal (which had only been returned to them after Bill had declared their efforts satisfactory) and calling someone, probably her parents.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug watched her for a moment, letting the realisation that she didn’t want to never see him again or switch classes or transfer schools sink in. glancing over to see the others blinking at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you get her number?” Fabian asked after a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug blushed, looking at the ground. “Whaaaaaat~ No, I don’t need-” He sighed. “No.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, there’s always next time,” Kristen said, patting him reassuringly on the arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, my mom will be at home, there’s no way she’ll let me skip even if I go home right now.” Fig frowned, folding her arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d rather go to class,” Adaine said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m just gonna go find a corner somewhere and have a nap,” Riz said dryly, hefting his axe over his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen gasped. “That’s such a good idea! Let’s all go find somewhere to sleep!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And skip class? You’re really piling on the sins there, Kristen.” Fabian said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Skipping class isn’t a </span>
  <em>
    <span>sin.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Kristen rolled her eyes, though she seemed to sweat a little, her voice getting quicker. “It’s not explicitly said in the Bible and people used the Bible to kill thousands anyways so who really wants to listen to that anyway-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Skipping class it is!” Fig declared, pointing a finger towards the main building. “I know the perfect spot!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nap sounds nice,” Gorgug said, following Fig towards the building, even though following Fig to places had consistently led them to danger. Kristen and Riz jumped on board pretty quickly and Adaine and Fabian brought up the rear, albeit with a noticeable distance between the two of them. Gorgug had no idea what was going on there. He didn’t want to know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked through the building, brushing past other students and not even taking a detour to their lockers, not that Fig would have slowed down even if one of them wanted to. Eventually, they came to the back of the main school building, to a side door that Fig promptly got to work on busting through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Voila! The theatre department.” She kicked the door open, waving a hand out like a presenter and stepping inside. “Or, well, the backstage of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Won’t there be classes here?” Gorgug asked as they followed her in, looking around at all the half-finished sets, the boxes of costumes, and the seemingly endless collection of props.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh sure. But trust me, you can get away with murder here. Anything goes!” Fig said, jumping up on top of boxes. “Plus, it’s such a maze back here it’s entirely possible we can go the whole day without anyone finding us.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a bit of poking around, they eventually found a small prop room that was filled almost to the brim with furniture from past shows, including couches, cushions, pillows, and blankets. Riz disappeared into the chaos almost immediately, and everyone else picked around for a comfortable spot for the next few minutes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug found an old couch that was nearly long enough to fit him with his legs hanging over the end, and he was tired enough that when he laid down on it, it was almost as comfortable as his bed usually was. Kristen tossed him a pillow to use, and it was nice, even if the entire room smelled like hairspray and paint fumes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should do this all the time,” Kristen said brightly, nestled in between two boxes with a pile of pillows and sheets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Stay up all night and then skip school to go sleep in the theatre department?” Gorgug asked, rubbing his eyes. He’d been managing alright with everything thanks to his natural strength, but now that he was lying down, exhaustion was quickly moving in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! Or, just, you know, hanging out together, unrelated to investigations and stuff. Bill </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>say that ‘team cohesion is the most important factor to team success’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He also said that if one of our classmates bumps into us we throw them down the hallway or otherwise maim them to show them we’re on top,” Adaine said, perched on top of a stack of chairs at the back of the room, her knees pulled to her chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m starting to wonder how qualified he is to be running a school.” Gorgug murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Extremely qualified,” Fabian grumbled. “He’s amazing.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He got the job by defeating the previous principal in combat.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if falling asleep in the same room counts as ‘hanging out’” Riz’s voice came from the abyss that he had dived into, muffled and still unmistakably skeptical. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It totally does! It’s basically a sleepover.” Kristen said. “There’s just no snacks or movies and if we get caught we might get in trouble but it’s the same thing.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fig gasped from somewhere close by to Kristen. “We should do a sleepover game!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Or we could go to sleep.” Riz’s disembodied voice said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Truth or dare!” Kristen exclaimed, suddenly filled with energy. “Everyone has to do it at </span>
  <em>
    <span>least </span>
  </em>
  <span>once before you’re allowed to go to sleep!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dares? I don’t trust any of you to give out decent dares.” Fabian said. He had taken the longest to pick out a spot in the room, carefully selected the nicest and cleanest items to use, Hangman already curled up and napping close by. “Besides, I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>exhausted.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Truth or truth, then.” Kristen shrugged. “I’ll go first! Truth!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you ask someone else first?” Gorgug asked. He’d never been on a sleepover. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you have a crush on anybody!” Fig jumped in before Kristen could answer, grinning devilishly before gasping. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Did you ever have a crush on Helio?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nooooooo!” Kristen covered her face with her hands. “No, that’s such a terrible question!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, did you?” Fabian poked his head up, and Kristen shook her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! He is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>god, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he is </span>
  <em>
    <span>above </span>
  </em>
  <span>such affections.” Kristen folded her arms, her bottom lip jutting out a little. “And I </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t have a crush on him now. Your turn Fig! Truth, or truth?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, truth.” Fig rolled onto her back, her tail flicking in the air, and Kristen hummed for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is the weirdest place you’ve broken into?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooooh, I’ll have to think,” Fig said, smirking. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>sneak into the back room in the town library looking for records, and I found out there’s a whole bunch of books that they don’t even put on the shelves. Like, you can only borrow it out if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>it’s there and specifically ask for it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What kind of books?” Gorgug asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t wanna know.” Fig gagged dramatically, covering her eyes with one hand. “I’ve been trying to repress the memory ever since.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gross.” Gorgug scrunched up his nose, his imagination filling in the gaps. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay Gorgug, your turn!” Fig said, pointing towards him. “Hmm… what’s all the stuff in your parent’s garage? It looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Gorgug perked up, because that was a question he could answer with confidence, not something terribly embarrassing like who he had a crush on, or his feelings towards his god. “Tinkering projects, mostly. Sometimes people will contract them to make stuff for them, or to fix stuff up. You know, like little robots or machines or fixing up cars.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do they know how to make a bomb?” Fig asked excitedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, probably? I don’t think they make bombs… but they probably </span>
  <em>
    <span>could.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you help them out sometimes?” Kristen asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sometimes,” Gorgug said, shifting onto his side with one hand beneath his head, smiling softly. “I’m pretty good at welding, I think. It’s fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been a while since he’d helped out his parents with something, he realised in the back of his head. He kinda missed it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, you ask someone now!” Kristen said. “But not me or Fig.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh-” Gorgug glanced towards the rest of the room. He couldn’t even see Riz, but he had no idea what he might ask any of them. “Adaine? Truth… or truth.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen and Fig were loosely high-fiving in the background, and Adaine blinked, having been paying attention thus far, but apparently not expecting to be called on. “Uh… truth.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Question. Question. What was a harmless, non-embarrassing question that also wasn’t super lame? “Ummmmm, why do you wear a school uniform all the time?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine was quiet for a moment, and Gorgug briefly panicked that he’d gravely miscalculated, before she answered. “Because my parents wanted me to wear it. It’s the uniform for my old school. Well, the sports uniform, but still.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your old school had uniforms? Gross.” Kristen said flippantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s so weird, though,” Fig said. “Why do your parents want you to wear it?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Partly because they’re stupid, partly to constantly rub it in that I got kicked out? You’d have to ask them.” Adaine grumbled, before clearing her throat and speaking quickly. “Riz, truth or truth, you have to pick truth, what’s your favourite colour?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug heard a faint sigh of relief from Riz’s hiding place while most of the others whined over that being such a lame question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh thank god. Green. Fabian, what’s the deal with your giant orb?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My Papa gave it to me as a present on my first day in honour of me starting high school and also to celebrate my future achievements and prowess and-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Awesome, okay, I’m going to sleep now. Great game everybody, I feel closer as a party.” Riz cut him off before promptly falling silent. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a short silence before Fabian took a breath and continued. “-and it’s a little big because it represents the </span>
  <em>
    <span>magnitude </span>
  </em>
  <span>of my father’s success, and the success that </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>will have in the future. As a wizard. Because I am so awesome.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s so cool,” Gorgug said. If only he had Fabian’s confidence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that moment, the door opened, a tall, lanky half-elf teen Gorgug didn’t recognise standing in the doorway. He blinked at them all scattered throughout the room and, after a long, long moment, he spoke. “Any spray cans in here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope.” Came the small, tired chorus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Cool. See ya.” The teen closed the door again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A moment passed.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <span>Then Fig whispered. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>told </span>
  </em>
  <span>ya you can get away with anything in here.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>inspired by my own experiences with the theatre department. tis a different dimension.</p><p>and some team bonding!!!! kinda</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Broken Lockers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kristen meets someone new. Adaine makes an apology.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“And you’re coming straight back home after school today!” Kristen’s mother said as Kristen went to climb out of the station wagon.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wincing, she looked over her shoulder at her mother, nodding. “Got it, Mom. I promise, I’m sorry. Again. It was just, the most </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredible </span>
  </em>
  <span>prayer session ever. Someone fully nearly died from how amazing it was.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mother seemed skeptical and concerned. “Kristen- you know I love how dedicated and faithful you are-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s so amazing, Helio is really working wonders at this school, I haven’t been doing anything wrong or illegal at all, see ya in seven and a half hours!” Kristen blurted out before slamming the car door shut and sprinting across the parking lot towards the school without looking back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s pretty sure her mom is too afraid of most of the students at this school to pursue her, so once she steps inside the building she lets herself relax a little. She definitely had this under control. Skipping every single class to sleep in the theatre department yesterday had been an absolutely perfect idea until she went home and was nearly smothered in hugs and worried tears, but she was pretty sure she smoothed everything over.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Exhaling heavily, Kristen tucked some hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail behind her ears, heading towards her locker. But when she got there, she saw the lock hanging loose. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not just loose, but mangled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if someone (someone very, very strong) had twisted it until it snapped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hesitantly, Kristen removed the wrecked lock from the latch that kept her locker closed, glancing around at the other students that happened to be around. None of them seemed suspicious, but she also didn’t see any </span>
  <em>
    <span>other </span>
  </em>
  <span>ruined locks on anyone else’s locker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She opened the door, and she knew immediately that someone had torn through it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen had never been the most </span>
  <em>
    <span>organised </span>
  </em>
  <span>person, but now all of her books and loose papers were scattered all over the place, crumpled and scrunched like they had been roughly pushed aside as if in search of something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what? The most valuable things Kristen kept in her locker were loose song or lyric ideas to be drafted into her songbook later, or a jacket in case it got really cold. And from what she could tell, all of that was still in there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>An unsettling feeling began to form in her stomach, and Kristen pulled out her crystal, texting the others. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: hey guys i think someone broke into my locker does anyone wanna come take a look?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: you too????</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen blinked at that response, her mouth dropping open lightly, before her fingers started flying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: wait WHAT?????</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: i’m not even at school yet what is going on</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: if anyone touched my locker im going to kill them</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: can someone check on mine its number 527 near the ranger classroom</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: i can check for you</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: thanks</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen closed her locker up again, eventually putting her broken lock back on it just so it would at least have the </span>
  <em>
    <span>appearance </span>
  </em>
  <span>of maybe being locked before jogging down the corridors towards Riz’s locker. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rounding a corner, she was distracted by a hand waving towards her, realising it was Fabian, standing in front of his own open locker, which was just as much of a mess as her own. Hangman had his head buried in the bottom of it, rustling around in papers and loose spell components.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look at this, Kristen!” Fabian complained, pointing at the mess. “Who would have the nerve? The gall? The </span>
  <em>
    <span>audacity?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did they take anything?” Kristen leaned forward to get a closer look, oohing at some of the stuff Fabian had in his locker. Kristen had a small pouch of school-provided components to use for spells that couldn’t be performed through her instruments, but Fabian’s stuff looked legit. And was that an extra suit? “You have a mirror in here?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do!” Fabian said, appearing in the mirror next to Kristen with a sour look on his face, before looking towards her. “You don’t?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You should get that fixed.” Fabian looked back into his locker, folding his arms. “They didn’t take anything important. Or much of anything at all, as far as I can tell.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same with my locker,” Kristen said. “Should we tell your dad?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pft, no. We can handle it ourselves.” Fabian scoffed, his brow furrowing a little before continuing, a little quieter. “That’s what real adventurers do.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m gonna go check Riz’s locker,” Kristen said, and after a few moments of Fabian shoving all his stuff back into his locker, he joined her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just like theirs, the lock on Riz’s locker had been ripped open. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is a worrying pattern,” Fabian said. “Should we open it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, we wouldn’t even know if anything was missing, right?” Kristen said, before pausing. “But yeah, definitely.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They opened the locker, only to find it relatively bare and boring. There were books, papers, a spare hoodie, a slightly rusted shortsword that looked like it had been picked up somewhere on the street, and a small assortment of empty chip packets or chocolate wrappers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: riz ur locker got busted into too</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: so did mine but i dont think anythings missing???? the door is totally wrecked T_T</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: The door? Tt was only the lock on mine. And i didn't have anything worth stealing anyway.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: my lock is actually fine? its pretty heavy duty so i guess they couldnt break it? but… they COULD break the door</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: ugghhhhhhhhh thats so annoying</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: im gonna kill someone. OKAY everyone check in: is ANYONE missing anything?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: nope</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: no</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: no</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: i dont think so?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: im like five more minutes away from school</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: is there anything really important in your locker?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: no</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: has anyone seen anyone else’s locker broken???</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen and Fabian glanced around, and there was another chorus of no’s from everyone else on the group chat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: great! we’re being targeted &gt;:)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: how exactly is that GREAT???</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: because we know exactly who it is!</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: we do???? </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: zayn?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: yes!!!!! we know hes involved and he found out we were onto him in the black pit!!! and now our lockers are broken into not even 48 hours later????? theres NO WAY its a coincidence</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: he wanted the palimpsest back</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: oooooooooh no thats not good</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: Can we be sure it was Zayn? Maybe it was someone working with him</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: we dont even know exactly WHEN the lockers were broken into. did anyone check theirs before they went home yesterday?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: I did, my locker was fine yesterday afternoon</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: so it happened sometime since the end of school yesterday. Gorgug, do you still talk to those AV club geeks?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: uh yeah i go to their meetings</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Kristen: you go to their MEETINGS????</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Gorgug: i joined the whole club??? it felt rude not to?????? </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: thats PERFECT!!! See if you can get them to let you look through the crystal footage. In the meantime, we just need to keep an eye out for zayn. He’s not a freshman, is he?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Riz: im pretty sure hes in one of the older barbarian classes. A sophomore or junior maybe? </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: Him being a barbarian would also make sense for Zayn breaking the locks.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: it all makes sense… gods im a genius. So if any of us see zayn, stalk him and let everyone else know. Then we’ll follow him somewhere and confront him!!!!</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Adaine: And what exactly will we do when we confront him???</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: make him tell us everything!!!!!</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fabian: How exactly are we going to do that??? </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Fig: we will think of it when we get there!!!!!!! </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first bell rang, and Kristen looked up from her crystal at Fabian, seeing him look at her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Time for class, I guess,” Kristen said, dimly realising she might get in trouble for skipping all of yesterday. “Oh boy.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her teacher accepted her lame excuse of having fallen sick and forgetting to inform the school with minimal grumbling and an assurance that she wouldn’t be getting any extra time to finish the homework she’d missed, but thankfully class went fairly smoothly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At lunch they all gathered to commiserate over their broken lockers, and then whatever random events or chores their parents were making them do in punishment for disappearing for nearly a full day with no word on where they were. Fabian (the only one </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>in trouble) and Adaine were supposed to attend some wizard event their parents were going to, Riz had to clean up his apartment, Kristen was doing double babysitting duty, and Fig was completely grounded. Not that that was stopping her from planning to sneak out anyway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gorgug was absent for most of lunch, arriving at the end with the unfortunate news that Biz hadn’t let him view the security footage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apparently he was showing off to like, whoever asked, and Porter was like, upset about it,” Gorgug said, shrugging. “Cause the tapes are supposed to be confidential. So now Biz is like, the only student who can look at old footage.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ughhhhhhh.” Fig scowled. “That succccccks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“At least we were already pretty sure it was Zayn, right?” Kristen said cheerfully. “So we don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>need to see the footage?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but maybe there would’ve been some other clues. Or maybe there was someone helping him. Or maybe…” Fig scrunched her face up. “I don’t know what maybes! But it’s annoying.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re worrying too much about the details,” Fabian said. “Zayn tried to break into our lockers but there was nothing to find, when we see him again we’ll fire bolt him until he tells us everything, end of story.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t seen him anywhere in my barbarian classes,” Riz said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I haven’t seen him when I snuck around to the upper barbarian classes,” Fig added. It didn’t take long for them to agree that they couldn’t do much until they found Zayn again, which left them to trudge their way back to class, trying to get through the rest of their classes. At the end of the day, Fig convinced them to lurk around different parts of the school on the lookout for their target just in case he tried something else, and Kristen was all too happy to take the excuse to keep her mother waiting a little longer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew she’d probably only be able to stall for ten minutes max, but it was better than nothing, so she trudged around to a spot around the side of the school and climbed up into a tree, promptly fell out of the tree and settled instead beneath it, absently strumming her guitar and humming a song.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few moments she realised she was humming a worship song, one all about Helio and how incredible and loving he was, and she stopped. She truly didn’t know what she was going to do. All the reading she’d been doing, late at night with her library books hidden under her mattress whenever she went to school so her parents wouldn’t find them, learning about the things followers of Helio and Sol had done in the name of their gods just made her more confused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d killed people. Invaded people, forced them from their homes, only leaving them alone if they converted. All in the name of saving their souls. Kristen had always been taught to be passionate in her ministry, to spread it across the world, to just try even harder if someone was resistant, but that wasn’t right. Hurting people wasn’t right. The longer she thought about it, the less she wanted to be a preacher of Helio. The less she wanted to be known as one of his followers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her classmates certainly already knew her as the weird church kid. It was all she’d spent her first day talking about. And now that association was just embarrassing. But she had no idea what else she was supposed to do. She definitely didn’t have the coordination to be a ranger, that was for sure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen tried to think of a song she knew that </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>a worship song. Surely there was one, even just a generic pop song that every other kid her age seemed to know by heart, but that she technically wasn’t allowed to listen to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her mind remained painfully blank, and Kristen’s fingers stopped strumming her guitar, biting the inside of her cheek and shifting uncomfortably against the trunk of the tree.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, that sounded pretty nice.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gah!” Tensing up in surprise, Kristen whirled around in the direction of the voice, seeing another teen, her age or maybe a little older, standing a little ways away, having walked up at some point while Kristen had been lost in thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was tall, with light brown skin and darker hair that was half shaved in an undercut, flopping over one side of her head and partially getting in her eye, her eyebrows thick and connected to each other. She wore a faded navy t-shirt with pictures of wolves howling at a moon on it, the sleeves cut off seemingly by hand to show off some surprisingly well-defined muscles on her arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen tried to recover herself. “You were listening?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, kinda.” The girl shrugged, walking a little closer. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! Pft, I’m fine.” Kristen brushed some hair back, chuckling loosely. “I-I just wasn’t expecting anyone out here. People usually clear out pretty quickly when school ends.” To be honest, even if Zayn </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>come by, she probably wouldn’t have even noticed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well, I’m not a student here. I’m just waiting for my uncle.” The girl pointed towards the school building. “He’s like, the lunch lady now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jawbone?” Kristen perked up. Jawbone, the lunch </span>
  <em>
    <span>lad, </span>
  </em>
  <span>had easily become the most popular person on campus. He’d been an improvement on Goldenhoard from the very beginning just because he actually smiled </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>he was a werewolf that was constantly half-shifted (which was just plain cool), but then he actually started talking about himself to kids in line and everyone quickly realised he was the most interesting person any of them had ever met in their lives. As in, rivaling Principal Seacaster in terms of sheer ridiculousness. “He’s your uncle?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he’s the best.” The girl said, sitting down close by to Kristen. “My name’s Tracker.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Kristen.” She held out a hand, and Tracker looked at it for a moment before cracking a smile (she had a very pretty smile), shaking it loosely. “So, if you don’t go to school here, where do you go?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ahhh, funny story, that.” Tracker looked away, her smile becoming a bit more sheepish, not like she was embarrassed, but that she knew it was something that she technically wasn’t supposed to be doing. “I don’t go to school. Like, at all.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, are you homeschooled?” Kristen tilted her head. “You know, I was homeschooled up until this year, sometimes it </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt </span>
  </em>
  <span>like I wasn’t at a school at all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not homeschooled.” Tracker snickered a little. “Yeah, no, Jawbone would be a terrible teacher.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So…” Kristen thought for a moment. “Wait, no school at </span>
  <em>
    <span>all?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I go to the library sometimes.” Tracker shrugged. “I’ve got all the basic stuff down.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And your parents just let you not go to school anymore?” Kristen’s eyes were wide. She was pretty sure this was the most interesting girl she’d ever met. And that was including Fig, who seemed to have accomplished a ridiculous amount of nonsense since she’d found out she was a tiefling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tracker paused for a moment. “My parents kicked me out, I live with Jawbone now.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Kristen couldn’t say anything more than that for a moment, surprised and curious. On the other hand, she was pretty sure asking what had happened was rude. “Oh- uh- sorry?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tracker waved a dismissive hand. “It was whatever. Jawbone’s way cooler, and my parents were obsessive. Big Sol followers, you know?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They were religious?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mmhmm. They kicked me out because I told them some of what they did was full of crap.” Tracker said bluntly. “Like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>obviously </span>
  </em>
  <span>not all followers of Sol are terrible, but his teachings are used to excuse a lot of dangerous shit and ideals.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen stared for a moment. She’d been kicked out… for going against her parents god? All at once Kristen wondered if the pretty girl in front of her wasn’t just an interesting new person, but perhaps a foreshadowing of her future. If she told </span>
  <em>
    <span>her </span>
  </em>
  <span>parents about her new doubts, about her questions… would they kick her out too? All of her uncles and aunts were just as crazy about Helio as her parents were, as </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>used to be. Would any of them take her in? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And… was it worth it?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Definitely.” Tracker said quickly, firmly, though her face tightened a little after she said it. “I mean- sometimes you just gotta get out, you know?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen sat with that for a moment. Boy, this was really heavy for a first meeting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Tracker!” A voice called out from a fair way away, and both girls looked up to see Jawbone exiting the school, an old bag slung across his shoulder, waving at them and heading their way, his face lighting up a little more when he saw Kristen. “And you! Nice to see ya, kid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice to see you too, Mr. Lunch Lad,” Kristen said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is one of the kids that pointed me towards this job.” Jawbone said to Tracker once he’d walked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Tracker’s eyes widened, and she looked at Kristen, tilting her head as if examining her in a new light. “You don’t look like the kind of kid to sneak into the Black Pit.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Haha, well, you know. Peer pressure.” Kristen fumbled over her words a little, chuckling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, peer pressure isn’t the best.” Jawbone said, still smiling. “But I can’t say I’m too upset by the results of it. You kids really helped me out with that tip.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen just smiled, deciding not to mention that they’d only mentioned it so that they could run away as quickly as possible. “Anytime, dude.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, maybe we can go grab some ice cream.” Tracker said brightly. “In return for helping my uncle get a job.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Kristen blinked. “No, no, you don’t need to do that.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just for fun, then.” Tracker didn’t miss a beat. “You free this afternoon?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All at once, Kristen remembered her mother, knew that the amount of time she could conceivable delay was quickly growing short. “Oh… not this afternoon.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Some other day then.” Tracker pulled out a crystal, before glancing up. “If you want to. It’s all cool if you don’t.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kristen stammered for a moment, before thinking it over for a moment. Besides her adventuring party, she didn’t really have many classmates that she really talked to very much. Plus, Tracker seemed to have grown up in a family like hers. Maybe… maybe talking to her could give her some ideas of how she could handle… all of it. Gorgug had been a very attentive sounding board so far, but there were some things he just didn’t fully understand, and she couldn’t understand some of </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>problems either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Plus, she just seemed really nice. And pretty. And her muscles were </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>cool. But mostly nice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s cool!” She bit her lip, trying to think of a good day. At least a few, to give her mom time to forgive her for the whole ‘disappearing for a day’ thing. “Uh… I can text you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, I can give you my number.” Tracker smiled, and Kristen felt her heart flutter for some indescribable reason. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine leaned against the wall in the hallway, pulling at the skirt of her dress and listening to the smug chatter and tittering laughter between dozens of wizards in the room on the other side of the wall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just a little longer, and she could make a quick appearance, let her parents see that she had made an effort, and then disappear to her room for the rest of the day and lock the door behind her, even if it couldn’t stop her parents or sister if they really wanted to barge in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you are.” Adaine turned her head to see Aelwyn poking out from the doorway, her face slightly irritated. “Mother was starting to suspect you’d run off again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, she noticed my absence?” Adaine folded her arms. “That’s new.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t vanish for a day and night with no word and not expect a little bit of extra vigilance when you come back,” Aelwyn spoke as if she were speaking to a child, and Adaine pushed off the wall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure they were absolutely terrified for my safety.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course they were.” Aelwyn rolled her eyes, which undercut the assurance a little bit. “Are you going to hide in the corridor for the entirety of the party?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Adaine huffed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aelwyn looked at her for a long moment, unimpressed. “Well, in that case, your new party member won’t leave me alone. Please collect him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine raised an eyebrow. “And why should I do that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had been trying very hard these past couple of days to not interact too much with Fabian, ever since the Black Pit. Interacting with him </span>
  <em>
    <span>here, </span>
  </em>
  <span>where she was already miserable, was certainly a recipe for disaster.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because if you don’t I’ll just tell Mother and Father how you so brutally attacked him with no provocation. I’m sure they’ll be </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>impressed with the education you’re getting at Aguefort.” Aelwyn said smugly, and when Adaine snapped her head to look at her, she smirked. “He really hasn’t shut up, and you’re already in trouble so...” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine’s fingers curled around the fabric of her dress, nerves beginning to rise. “Fine!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aelwyn smiled and gave her a wink. “That’s why you’re my favourite sister.” And she disappeared back into the party, undoubtedly to brag about her many achievements or show off her fancy rapier or something equally pretentious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For a moment, Adaine stayed in the comfort and shadow of the hallway, briefly considering just going up to her room now. But she really didn’t need her parents to be even more annoyed and disappointed than they already were. If she had to choose between dealing with Fabian and dealing with her parents, it was an easy choice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So she peeked around the doorway, scanning the crowd of wizards and researchers until she spotted Fabian. Or, more accurately, she heard the light yaps of Hangman and followed them until she found the source. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was hovering a little awkwardly around the food table, while Hangman sniffed at a very old and extremely expensive statue nearby, and when he noticed Adaine walking up, he raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you hated these things.” He said neutrally. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine shrugged uselessly, holding her hands behind her back. “Wanna snoop in Aelwyn’s room with me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian blinked at her for a moment, eyes flickering down to Hangman as he yapped something before looking back up, suspicion filling his eyes. “You’re not going to punch me again, are you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She bristled, clenching her jaw. “No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was another short pause, then Fabian spoke a little quieter. “What would we be looking for?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ideally something that could get her in trouble. Or a diary.” Adaine said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And why are we doing this?” Fabian raised an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Because I’m like, eighty percent sure she’s been snooping in </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>room so I wanna make sure she didn’t take anything.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another pause. “Okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He followed her around the edges of the room to the door, down the hallway, and up the stairs where the bedrooms were. Fabian had been to their house before for functions a lot like this one, but Adaine was fairly certain he’d never been upstairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of heading to Aelwyn’s door, she went to her own bedroom instead, at the end of the hallway. Once inside, she immediately headed for the window, popping it open and looking out to see if there were any adults in the backyard that might see her. Thankfully they all seemed to be inside. “Coast is clear, let’s go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, what are we doing?” She looked over her shoulder to see Fabian standing with his hands on his hips in the doorway to her room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She has wards on her door, duh.” Adaine said. “But not her windows. Do you wanna come or not?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian pinched his brows together for a moment before hurrying to the window, lifting Hangman out first before following. Adaine walked along roof tiles towards her sister's room, crouching down in front of a window before frowning. “She locked it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I can help with that.” Fabian huffed, before crouching down next to her and waving a hand. Inside the room, a shimmering hand appeared, following Fabian’s movements towards the window latch and flicking it up. “Voila.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pulling the window the rest of the way up, Adaine cracked a smile. “Perfect.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She crawled into her sister’s room, scrunching her nose up at the stacks of wizarding books on the desk and multitudes of academic awards and ribbons that lined the walls, instead beginning to rummage through drawers and under her bed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow. That’s a lot.” Fabian said, whistling lowly once he’d climbed in, as Hangman began sniffing around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you don’t have a wall full of trophies in </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>bedroom?” Adaine asked not-at-all-seriously. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not a </span>
  <em>
    <span>wall,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Fabian said, before seeming to catch himself, clearing his throat and backtracking. “I mean, because I basically have a whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>room! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Basically. With magic awards, fencing, calligraphy, all the most sophisticated pursuits you can imagine. But especially magic.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine sat up from where she’d been peering under Aelwyn’s bed, looking at Fabian carefully. “You don’t have to lie.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian paused, before looking away. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t have to be so- dismissive of everything I say.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine opened her mouth to retort before closing it, the discomfort that always seemed to follow her around rising up anew, making her cheeks hot. “I- I’m sorry I punched you. Multiple times. I probably shouldn’t have.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You definitely shouldn’t have.” Fabian said, taking another look at Aelwyn’s wall of achievements. Even from his brief look at Adaine’s room, he must’ve seen that she didn’t have anything like it. “I… apologise for fire bolting you in return. And punching you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want things to be weird at school. In the adventuring party.” Adaine said, her speed picking up a little. “So- there. I’m sorry. Punching you was wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian looked a little awkward, and Adaine distantly began to worry that her apology hadn’t been good enough. She hadn’t even been standing up, she’d hardly been looking at him, were they supposed to shake hands or something? Oh no-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I accept your apology.” Fabian finally said, a little stiffly. Then he chuckled. “It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>awkward at school.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Adaine didn’t chuckle in response, cringing at the memory of the past few days. She’d hardly been able to bring herself to </span>
  <em>
    <span>look </span>
  </em>
  <span>at Fabian, much less speak to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian cleared his throat. “In that case, maybe we can start fresh. You can try not punching me in the throat, and I’ll...” He frowned a little, as if trying to pinpoint exactly what </span>
  <em>
    <span>he’d </span>
  </em>
  <span>done that had contributed to this whole mess. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll not punch you in the throat again.” Adaine said quickly. “Or punch you at all, for that matter.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excellent. Now, I will admit I do not want to go through your sister’s things, it feels very weird.” Fabian had stayed standing in one spot in Aelwyn’s room this entire time, having only looked around at the things plainly on display. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t found anything interesting anyway, to be fair.” Adaine stood up, feeling simultaneously relieved and more nervous. Starting fresh seemed like an easy thing to agree to, but she had no idea how she would put it into practise. But she wanted to try. “Maybe we could… sneak into the kitchen and steal some of the desserts?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fabian’s face lit up, and Adaine put down some of the random notebooks and scraps of paper that she’d found under Aelwyn’s bed, escaping the room and carefully avoiding triggering any other wards her sister may have placed on it. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yeehaw <br/>and oop zayn's missing wonder where he could have gone</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Another reminder that a lot of the foundation of this story comes from the super fun and genius class swap AU created by duskquil on tumblr, and a lot of other additions were by cloudmancy! You will not regret following them they both post amazing art and are great fun in general!!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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